Akshay Bhatia has been at the Texas Open before 2024. He missed the cut in 2021 before clinching a T46 finish in 2023. But then, next year, he won after a tight playoff competition against Denny McCarthy. Now, he returns to the TPC San Antonio as a defending champion. The course has only seen four returning champions win, with the most recent being the former Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who successfully defended his title in 2009. The legendary Arnold Palmer has won the event three times, and that too consecutively. If Bhatia wins this season, he could be part of a legendary group of players. So, his return to the hallowed ground is not without a strategy, but it is the one with a calm mind, with an even bigger target in mind.
Despite winning the 2023 Barracuda Championship, he did not feature in 2024, so this marks his first time defending his title. So, the settling might be unlikely for him, but Bhatia does not feel any different. In his mind, he is already preparing for the upcoming mountain to climb at Augusta. This will be only his second appearance at the Masters Tournament, having registered a T35 in his debut last year. A good feat, but something he will be looking to improve on.
“I feel like it’s just another week. I have my mind really set on Augusta next week, so it’s a great week on this golf course to kind of learn where my game’s at, what kind of shots I need to improve on for next week. It’s a great golf course for that, very narrow, very tricky. It’s obviously going to be windy here. I just kind of feel normal,” he shared at a pre-tournament presser. Last year, after winning in Texas, he climbed to being the 35th golfer in the world. Something he had manifested. His finish at Augusta was the result of that, too, he believes.
This place holds a lot of love in Bhatia’s heart as that is where he met his fiancée, Presliegh Schultz, for the first time. “A lot of good memories. And yeah, I’ve always loved this event, very special place for me and my fiancé, who we met here in 2022. I just love coming back here. The golf course is in great shape, so I look forward to, you know, playing this golf course again and playing in front of the great fans we have here in Texas,” he explained.
World No. 23 Akshay Bhatia on his first time defending a championship (DNP ‘24 Cuda) on the @PGATOUR at @valerotxopen: pic.twitter.com/oVn3SHLEXP
— Will Doctor (@DrMedia59) April 1, 2025
Akshay Bhatia is not the only person who is looking forward to the upcoming Masters. Other young players are too. One-time PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee was extremely confident in tackling headfirst into the impending date in Georgia. “I have a week-off, which I am very looking forward to. I will see you guys at the big dance,” stated Min Woo Lee, full of bravado.
Bhatia’s date with the Masters Tournament came due to his thrilling victory in Texas last year. The American golfer had to fight tooth and nail despite having a great overall tournament to claim his second PGA Tour victory.
Akshay Bhatia’s road to the Masters
While in the end, the competition seemed tight due to the playoff, both Bhatia and McCarthy were nearly lapping the field at the 2024 Valero Texas Open. The third-placed Rory McIlroy was 11 under par, 9 shots behind the pair. Such was the dominance. Bhatia initially had a near-insurmountable lead heading towards the final seven holes, leading the trailing McCarthy by five strokes.
However, McCarthy caught fire in unprecedented fashion. He churned out 7 straight birdies in stunning fashion to equal Bhatia’s score and set a playoff contest to determine the winner. But Bhatia held his nerve well to card a birdie at the par-5 18, leading to his second PGA Tour victory. The 23-year-old recalled the victory, stating, “I played so great the whole week. I honestly don’t know how I did it, shooting 20 under, Denny and I, and I think third place was 11 under. You step on this property, and you realize how hard this golf course is. Just such a whirlwind.”
The happy journey did not end there as he made his much-awaited Masters debut. That was just his second appearance in a major, after having played in the 2021 US Open, where he finished T57. “Then going to Augusta the following night, just great memories. You know, I look forward to seeing if I can get back in that position this week,” Bhatia stated.
Do you think Akshay Bhatia can defend his title in Texas this week? More importantly, can he make a splash at the upcoming Masters at Augusta?
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