Akshay Bhatia survived a wild finish at the Texas Open to earn a trip to the first major of the year next week.
Bhatia, who became the first Drive, Chip and Putt contestant to qualify for the Masters, won the Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in a playoff against the hapless Denny McCarthy.
However, he almost celebrated too soon, injuring his left shoulder while flailing his arms on a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff. He recovered to birdie the first extra hole and win.
McCarthy was six strokes behind going into the back nine at TPC San Antonio when he birdied eight of the nine holes, including the back seven, making a 12-foot birdie for a 9-under 63. Bhatia had to make his birdie putt from the same range to have a chance.
He shot a 67, raising his arms to shake them in his decisive moment. And that’s when he felt his shoulder, which he said had caused him problems before, move out of place.
Akshay Bhatia survived a wild finish at the Texas Open to earn a trip to the Masters
Bhatia beat Denny McCarthy in a wild playoff finish at the Texas Open on Sunday.
Bhatia poses with the Valero Texas Open trophy with his fiancee Presleigh Schultz
Bhatia hit his tee shot and hit a 5-iron on the par-5 18th of the playoff.
McCarthy, playing his 174th PGA Tour event without a win, was first to play and hit a wedge so hard that his head immediately dropped. The ball traveled about 20 meters before reaching the middle of a stream.
And then Bhatia asked for treatment and briefly ran off the court to have his shoulder taped. She came back and hit the wedge to 6 feet. Needing three putts to win, he holed out to win for the second time on the PGA Tour.
“Man, what a crazy day,” Bhatia said.
The Texas Open is a special event for Bhatia as he not only presented his ticket to the Masters, but also his fiancee Presleigh Schultz, whom he met for the first time at the event in 2021.
Bhatia, 22, who turned professional five years ago, won the Barracuda Championship last summer. It was held in front of the British Open, so it did not allow him to access the Masters.
This one he did, his first trip to Augusta National. And it came 10 years after Bhatia played the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at the home of the Masters. He can now play on more than just the 18th green and he fulfilled his mother’s wish.
“This is amazing,” he said. “It is difficult to win, as demonstrated today. My mom’s birthday was April 1 and her wish was to go to the Masters.
Bhatia celebrates with Schultz, whom he met at the 2021 event, on the 18th green
McCarthy had already earned his place by finishing in the world’s top 50 last year, but all that mattered at the moment was that elusive PGA Tour trophy. Last year he lost in a playoff at the Memorial to Viktor Hovland.
This could have been even more devastating given the circumstances. McCarthy appeared to have no chance after Bhatia, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, birdied three of the first four holes and extended his lead to six shots at the turn.
There was a two-shot swing at the 10th when Bhatia missed a 5-foot par putt and McCarthy, one of the best putters on tour, holed an 18-foot par putt for birdie. Bhatia responded with a birdie on the 11th, and then it was the McCarthy Show the rest of the way.
He hit a 30-footer on the 12th, drilled a 5-iron on the long par-3 13th to 4 feet, made it from 10 feet on the par-5 14th, holed a 40-foot chip on the 15th and closed to a one-shot with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th.
Bhatia missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 17th (McCarthy moved up and down from the gross for birdie) and they were tied at the 18th.
McCarthy made his birdie putt first and fell to the side, the closest he has come to winning. And then Bhatia had his own decisive moment to tie it at 20-under 268, forcing a playoff that ended badly for McCarthy.
“I wish I could have gotten that wedge shot back there,” McCarthy said. “I backed away a couple of times. There was a bug on my ball and some noise in the stands and a bug jumped toward my ball. I probably should have backed away again, but I figured I couldn’t let that distract me and maybe it did a little. Maybe it will be a learning experience for me.’
Rory McIlroy closed with a 66 to finish only third in his final event before the Masters, the only major to keep him out of a career Grand Slam.
McCarthy’s ball landed about 20 yards from the middle of a creek on the 18th hole.
McIlroy was runner-up and won in consecutive weeks in Dubai to start the year. This was his first top 10 on the PGA Tour.
“I’m in a better situation than a few weeks ago,” he said. ‘It was nice to see a round like this today, it’s nice to play in a golf tournament where… Obviously I’m going to finish a few strokes behind Denny and Akshay, but I still played pretty solid in some tough conditions.’
He finished nine shots away from the playoff.
Bhatia will be the first Drive, Chip and Putt finalist to play in the Masters. The competition has been one of several innovations at Augusta National. The Asia-Pacific Amateur also began, where a young champion, Hideki Matsuyama, won a green jacket.
“I achieved the goal I had in mind,” Bhatia said.
That includes a trip to Augusta National. He also qualifies for the US Open with his second victory on the PGA Tour and moves up to 34th in the world.
