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Akshay Bhatia is one of the first-timers teeing it up at Kapalua Plantation Course for The Sentry tournament this week. After winning the Barracuda Championship this past fall, he secured his spot in this week’s event.
Following three days of play and the 21-year-old sits one shot off the 54-hole leader, Chris Kirk.
Typically, first-time players struggle with the Plantation Course. The track isn’t as easy as it looks, but Bhatia’s caddie knows this place, and so far, it has helped.
“I was pretty comfortable today, and I know my game’s really good. Obviously, made a putter change which has been a big help,” Bhatia said. “It’s been feeling really good. I’m excited to see how I feel with expectations that I have on myself of winning tomorrow.”
Bhatia fired off a bogey-free 66 on Saturday to sit at 20-under with 18 holes to play. He recorded seven birdies on his round to give him 22 in 54 holes, tying him for the most. That ability to make putts is what he credits to being in contention.
This week, he switched to the long putter, which has been a game-changer for him.
“Statistically, my putting has not been good,” he said. “I think stats can be a little skewed sometimes, but it’s just something we sat down and talked about. My mental coach, my putting coach, my swing coach, everyone was kind of involved in what decision I needed to make.”
Last season, Bhatia ranked 183rd in strokes gained putting. Through three rounds of play at the Sentry, the Wake Forest, N.C. resident is No. 1 in strokes gained putting, picking up 5.578 shots on the field.
Here’s the putt that got Akshay Bhatia to -19.
He currently leads the field in strokes gained and is third in strokes gained putting.
The long putter is clearly paying off. Last year, Bhatia ranked 183rd in strokes gained: putting. #TheSentry #PGATour pic.twitter.com/TH7DoaUoS8
— Playing Through (@_PlayingThrough) January 6, 2024
He has used the long putter briefly in the past, but this week will be the first time it’ll be in the bag all four days.
“For me, the speed’s just a lot easier. Longer putts feel a little more free,” Bhatia said. “I’m not thinking as much, I’m visualizing and then hitting. It’s a lot more freeing, and, yeah, it’s fun to work with it. I told my coach this week, putting in the wind it’s going to be a different challenge with this putter, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
He came into the week with a no-judgment approach with his putting since there is a new club in the bag.
“If I make a lot of putts or miss a lot of putts, I’m not judging the putter, specifically,” he said. “It’s just kind of how I’ve been. I’m seeing the ball go in a lot more than I have, so it’s nice that it’s kind of going in this direction.”
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed by other players either. Jordan Spieth played with Bhatia on Saturday and complimented his play on the greens.
“Really the way he putted, I mean, he had to have gained four or five on the greens today, and the ones that didn’t go in looked like they were going in,” Spieth said. “18 was the only mishap. The rest of the day he rolled his rock.”
Could tomorrow be the day Bhatia earns his second PGA Tour victory? Only 18 holes stand in his way and a field that will fight the leaders to the end.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
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