McCarthy posted a 28 on the back to overcome a six-stroke deficit, but made a fatal mistake in a playoff.
For those who have followed Akshay Bhatia’s decorated golf career, the fact that the 22-year-old phenom captured his second PGA Tour title on Sunday — earning his first berth into a major tournament — might come as no surprise.
But the way Bhatia won, running away from most of the field early and then outlasting a wily veteran in a playoff at the 2024 Valero Texas Open to earn a spot in next week’s Masters? That certainly might have the golf world doing a collective double-take.
Bhatia finished off one of the most impressive and improbable wire-to-wire victories in recent memory, fending off a heroic charge by runner-up Denny McCarthy on Sunday afternoon, and finding his way into the winner’s circle at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course.
McCarthy forced a playoff with an incredible string of eight birdies over the final nine holes, and after he buried a seventh straight birdie putt on 18, it appeared he might be poised for his first PGA Tour victory.
Bhatia responded with a huge birdie putt of his own on the tournament’s 72nd hole, and then watched as McCarthy made a surprising and fatal mistake by chunking a wedge from 99 yards out on the playoff hole — and splashing it into a creek.
Winning is hard.
Denny McCarthy has found the water from 99 yards out on the first playoff hole. pic.twitter.com/41GpsUEvEZ
“Wish I could have had that wedge shot back there. I backed off a couple times,” McCarthy said. “There was a bug on my ball and some noise in the stands and a bug jumped back on my ball. I probably should have backed away again, but I thought I could kind of not let it distract me and maybe it did a little.
“Maybe a learning experience for me, but all in all I handled myself really well today.”
Adding a little more drama, Bhatia then asked for his shoulder to be taped up by a trainer before his approach on the playoff hole, telling those on hand that he pulled it out of its socket during a fist-pump celebration after hitting the putt on 18.
But he safely found the green and then dropped a six-footer to earn the trip back to Augusta.
The field for the 88th Masters Tournament is set. See you back at Augusta National, Akshay. #themasters
“Denny played unbelievable. It’s tough, he’s one of the best putters out here. Yeah, it’s scary how good he played. To shoot 8 under on the back is like unheard of,” Bhatia said. “You think he might miss one, but it was awesome to see that. It made me feel like, OK, I really need to step up here, I can’t just cruise in. I did such a good job just coming out, sticking to my game plan.
“I still had to shoot 5 under to just get into a playoff, so it was pretty crazy.”
At the ripe age of 15, Bhatia won the 2017 Junior PGA Championship, breaking a course record at the Country Club of St. Albans, and cruising to a three-stroke victory. He added a number of major junior events a year later, including the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
Akshay Bhatia talks with his caddie before teeing off at the first hole during the final round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
He later became the third-youngest player to win a Korn Ferry Tour event, when he took home the title at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, with only Sungjae Im and Jason Day doing so at a younger age.
None of this has fazed Bhatia, who continues to work hard, keep his nose to the grindstone and focus on the next major hurdle.
“I’m just true to myself. I’ve never had an easy life growing up, so anytime anyone sees that, oh, this kid’s making a ton of money, he’s playing on the PGA Tour, he’s won on the PGA Tour, that’s just not it,” Bhatia said after his third round of play, “There’s so much more to it than just the golf. For guys coming up from PGA Tour U or Nick Dunlap, for instance, winning on the PGA Tour, like there’s going to be a lot for them to learn and hopefully being peers with them, it kind of can help them along the way and kind of grow up faster.”
Bhatia conducted himself like a veteran in the latter stages on Sunday, as he had a four-stroke lead heading into Sunday, pushed that advantage to six after the fourth hole, but then watched as McCarthy put on an impressive display on the back at the Greg Norman-designed course.
Denny McCarthy hits a tee shot on the tenth hole during the final round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
McCarthy’s birdie barrage started just after the turn as he knocked off strokes on Nos. 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 to pull within one.
On the 17th, a drivable par-4, McCarthy missed right in the rough, while Bhatia dropped his in a bunker off to the right side of the hole. Both players put their second shots to within five feet, but Bhatia missed his putt, marking the first time in 52 times during the tournament that he missed from that distance.
Both players made birdies on the 18th hole, then Bhatia capitalized on McCarthy’s playoff miscue to take the $1.65 million first prize and the final spot in the 2024 Masters.
“t’s cool. It’s a dream come true. I didn’t know what to expect this week,” Bhatia said. “This is just kind of a week where I played a couple times and I was a little more comfortable, I think. I wrote on my wrist today “W-T-W,” which is wire-to-wire. Just kind of pictured a straight wire from the first hole to the 72nd hole and I just tried to really stick to that, and my caddie did an awesome job reminding me of that.”
As for McCarthy, he’ll take plenty away from this week, even though he missed out on the hardware.
“I’m hitting the ball really nice, chipping and putting really nice. Just kind of committing to my process and freeing it up and not really caring where it goes,” McCarthy said. “I did that really well all week, especially today also, Sunday afternoon, last group. It stings right now, but I found a lot of good things in my game this week mentally and physically, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
A pair of caddies are taking their talents to the Saudi-backed league.
LIV Golf’s Phil Mickelson and Caleb Surratt have dipped into the PGA Tour caddie ranks for not one but two regular caddies, sources tell Golfweek.
Mickelson announced on social media that his younger brother, Tim, who had served as his caddie for the past eight years including during the 2021 PGA Championship victory at Kiawah, has retired as his caddie. But he didn’t name a replacement. Golfweek has learned that veteran caddie Jon Yarbrough will be on the bag starting next week at the LIV Golf Miami event and the following week at the Masters.
Yarbrough, who has caddied for more than 20 years and for Scott Stallings for the past decade, won’t be on the bag for him this week at the Tour event in Houston. Yarbrough has previously caddied for the likes of Gary Woodland, Bill Haas, Smylie Kaufman and on the LPGA for Kelly Robbins, Morgan Pressel and Suzann Pettersen. Stallings, 39, made the Tour Championship in 2022 but is winless since the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open and has missed the cut in five of eight starts this season. Stallings is expected to have his swing coach on his bag this week. According to a source, Stallings and Yarbrough are very close, but the amount of guaranteed money offered “was incredible.” Reached via phone, Yarbrough declined to comment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4-3p3QuYgj/
That’s not the only LIV Golf caddie change. Caleb Surratt, who signed with LIV out of Tennessee earlier this year and joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII, has wooed Brian Dilley, another veteran Tour caddie, who had been on the bag of Akshay Bhatia, to take over for him. Dilley is tight with Adam Hayes, the caddie for Rahm, and likely had a role in linking Surratt and Dilley together.
“I’m still learning, growing, and working on everything that I’m beginning to see what I need as a player in order to grow and be able to compete to the highest level, and I think Brian Dilley‘s gonna be able to help me get to that point,” Surratt wrote via text of Dilley, who has worked with Aaron Wise, Billy Horschel, and the LPGA’s Gerina Piller, among others. “He has caddied at an extremely high-level for longer than I’ve been alive, and undoubtably will be a great set of eyes to have on my golf game. Everyone on my team around me, speaks very highly of him, and I’m very excited to get to work with him in the coming weeks. It’s been a very enjoyable ride so far, and I’m excited to keep learning myself, and learning professional golf game, and eventually grow to be one of the best players in the world.”
What do the past three winners of The Sentry have in common? A hot putter.
Before the start of the 2023 Fortinet Championship, Akshay Bhatia switched to a broomstick putter, one similar that Lucas Glover used to win consecutive Tour events only a month before.
Bhatia, a 20-year-old who broke through for his first Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship last summer, had a strong rookie season outside of his putter. He knew something needed to change to be more consistent. He switched his flat stick for one round at the Fortinet Championship and three rounds at the RSM Classic. It has been in the bag again this week, and through three rounds of the 2024 season, it seems that switch is paying off.
After three rounds of the 2024 The Sentry at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii, Bhatia is sitting at 20-under 199, one shot behind leader Chris Kirk. However, the youngster is first in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
“I played nice today,” Bhatia said. “Didn’t make any mistakes. Made some putts. I wish I would have not 3-putted 18, and that’s what I’m going to think about, but it was a good day. We all played really well in the group. I’m looking forward to the opportunity tomorrow.”
What do winners over the last three years have in common at Kapalua? Leading the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
As he mentioned, the lone blemish for Bhatia in his third-round 7-under 66 came on the closing par-5 18th, when he three putted for the first time this week. It resulted in a par, but nevertheless, Bhatia will be in the final pairing come Sunday’s final round.
“My caddie has been here plenty of times, and I’m relying on him,” he said. “Our game plan, we have a nice game plan of what holes we need to play conservatively, what holes we can attack, and then what holes we can just kind of plod around. If you make a couple birdies on the harder holes it’s a big jump, I think. Then, like you said, you got to make a lot of birdies. A lot of holes are birdieable, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.
“You just keep plotting around and hopefully you play this golf course more and more you get more comfortable on certain things. So, that’s kind of what I’m going about.”
Hereare four more things you need to know from the third round of The Sentry.
Bhatia tied for 10th in Mexico and tied for 17th at last year’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
After a week south of the border, the PGA Tour is in Southampton, Bermuda, for the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course.
Defending champion Seamus Power is not in the field due to a lingering hip injury that forced him to withdraw from the Irish Open in September. His last Tour start came at the BMW Championship during the FedEx Cup Playoffs where he finished solo 48th.
Other players in the field include Lucas Glover, Luke List and Akshay Bhatia.
Golf course
Port Royal Golf Course | Par 71 | 6,828 yards
Seamus Power hits his first shot on the 17th hole during the final round of the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course on October 30, 2022 in Southampton, Bermuda. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
It’s last call for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and a handful of big names on the PGA Tour are lining up for one last shot.
It’s last call for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and a handful of big names on the PGA Tour are lining up for one last shot.
After the conclusion of this week’s Wyndham Championship, the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will qualify for the first event of the playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship (Aug. 10-13). The top 50 will then advance to the BMW Championship (Aug. 17-20), and the top 30 will ultimately punch their tickets to the season-ending Tour Championship (Aug. 24-27). This year, the total bonus pool for the FedEx Cup Playoffs is a whopping $75 million.
With the regular season coming to a close on Sunday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, players ranked No. 60 (670) to No. 80 (538) are separated by just 132 points. Each of the last 10 players in and first 10 players out are in the field this week, too.
Cam Davis (No. 69) played his way just inside the top 70 with a T-10 at the 3M Open, same with Lee Hodges, who rose from No. 74 to No. 33 thanks to his win at TPC Twin Cities. Meanwhile, Justin Thomas dropped after his 3M Open missed cut (but more on him to come).
Here are some notable PGA Tour names who are on the outside looking in for the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Winning on the PGA Tour took more time, but not much as Bhatia won the 2023 Barracuda Championship, the final opposite-field event of the PGA Tour season, in a playoff Sunday evening in his 36th start. He’s also the second left-handed player to win Sunday, following Brian Harman’s victory at the 2023 Open Championship.
“I was definitely watching the Open Championship,” Bhatia said. “Brian Harman, I know him pretty well.
“It’s kind of cool that two lefties won on the same day. That’s pretty cool to have that happen. I was so excited for him, obviously, and for his whole team.”
The Barracuda tournament is the only one on Tour to use the Modified Stableford scoring system, so the more points the better in this event, and Bhatia had 40 points at the end of regulation, tied with Patrick Rodgers. After one playoff hole, it was over, with the big-hitting left-hander hoisting the trophy at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course in Truckee, California.
Bhatia’s 17-point Saturday got him into contention. It tied for the third best scoring day of the week based on the points system.
In addition to the first-place prize of $684,000, Bhatia is fully exempt on the PGA Tour through the 2025 season. He also vaults to No. 90 in the FedEx Cup standings; the top 70 advance to the Playoffs this season.
Bhatia is the 10th first-time winner on Tour this season.
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Sunday is bound to be life changing for one PGA Tour player.
None of the top four players on the leaderboard at the 2023 Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, California, have won on Tour before. Two of them, Ryan Gerard and Akshay Bhatia, weren’t even PGA Tour members when the season began.
After Sunday’s final round, it’s likely someone hoists a trophy for the first time.
Patrick Rodgers birdied the 18th hole and earned two points in the Modified Stableford format to take a one-point lead over Gerard going into the final round. Rodgers tallied eight points in the third round and sits at 34 for the tournament. Gerard, who led after the 36 holes, struggled to garner any momentum on moving day, earning only three points and has 33 points.
“I was really super proud of the way that I was resilient and turned the round around and knew there was still a lot of points to be had,” Rodgers said. “The eagle on 12 was huge, and birdieing two of the last three was great to be in a good position going into tomorrow.”
Bhatia made a major move up the leaderboard, sitting in solo third with 31 points, courtesy of his 17-point outing. He shot 8-under 63 with six birdies and an eagle.
“I know I’m close to winning,” Bhatia said. “It’s a good feeling. Obviously finishing top 10 and gaining points and everything is important out here. But it’s just amazing the perspective you have when you just kind of wish you did certain things a little different, and I would have been pretty close to hosting that trophy last week.”
Beau Hossler, who is also searching for his first Tour victory, is in solo fourth with 30 points. Joel Dahmen is in fifth with 29.
The opposite-field event gives plenty of opportunities for someone to have a career-changing victory. The leaderboard is set up for exactly that come Sunday.
“I feel like any time that you’re in contention coming down the last round, last however many holes, you’ve got to play well to get into that situation,” Gerard said. “So just going to take that in stride and really just trust that we’re going to have some good stuff happen tomorrow and just really do my best and everything else is just an added bonus. So we’re excited to just go out there and see what happens.”
“Second place is just the first-place loser. There is no room for second place.”
With the calendar flipping to June, the PGA Tour counts eight first-time winners this season, including the duo of Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, who teamed up for their first wins at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
McCarthy isn’t alone. So far this season, 14 different players have finished runner-up or tied for second 15 times while bidding for their first Tour title. If the Netflix documentary “Full Swing” taught us anything it is that winning is hard. (Don’t drink every time a player says just that or you may not make it through a single episode.)
“The only one who will remember you if you come in second place is your wife and your dog,” World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player once said, “and that is only if you have a good wife and a good dog.”
NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt didn’t mince words either, saying, “Second place is just the first-place loser. There is no room for second place.”
Nevertheless, let’s take a closer look at this year’s runner-ups, who were so close to tasting victory and climbing another rung on the professional golf ladder with their first Tour wins.
