PHOTO
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23: Akshay Bhatia of the United States poses with the trophy after putting in to win on the 18th green during a playoff against Patrick Rodgers of the United States during the final round of the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club on July 23, 2023 in United States. Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Akshay Bhatia made par on the first playoff hole to beat Patrick Rodgers and win the Barracuda Championship on Sunday in Truckee, California.
Bhatia, a 21-year-old playing on a special temporary membership, is now fully exempt on the PGA Tour through 2025 thanks to his first career victory in the tour’s alternate event opposite The Open Championship.
“I knew that if I got into position like this, that I could do it,” Bhatia said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “I’ve done it at every level. Man, I felt uncomfortable out there. I made a really bad double (on No. 5). I hit some really bad shots, but then I kinda made some really nice (birdie) putts on 8 and 9 and started hitting some really good shots coming in.”
The tournament at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course is the only PGA Tour event that uses the Modified Stableford scoring format. The highest score wins, with points awarded for double eagles (eight), eagles (five) and birdies (two). Pars are worth zero points, while bogeys are minus-1 and double bogeys or worse are minus-3 points.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Bhatia said. “I was telling my caddie that your brain and everything, you can feel all this adrenaline, all this shakiness.”
Julien Guerrier of France (plus-20 Sunday) and Jens Dantorp of Sweden (plus-15) tied for third at plus-37. Ryan Gerard (plus-3) was fifth at plus-36.
© Gulf Times Newspaper 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).Bhatia, a 21-year-old playing on a special temporary membership, is now fully exempt on the PGA Tour through 2025 thanks to his first career victory in the tour’s alternate event opposite The Open Championship.
“I knew that if I got into position like this, that I could do it,” Bhatia said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “I’ve done it at every level. Man, I felt uncomfortable out there. I made a really bad double (on No. 5). I hit some really bad shots, but then I kinda made some really nice (birdie) putts on 8 and 9 and started hitting some really good shots coming in.”
The tournament at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course is the only PGA Tour event that uses the Modified Stableford scoring format. The highest score wins, with points awarded for double eagles (eight), eagles (five) and birdies (two). Pars are worth zero points, while bogeys are minus-1 and double bogeys or worse are minus-3 points.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Bhatia said. “I was telling my caddie that your brain and everything, you can feel all this adrenaline, all this shakiness.”
Julien Guerrier of France (plus-20 Sunday) and Jens Dantorp of Sweden (plus-15) tied for third at plus-37. Ryan Gerard (plus-3) was fifth at plus-36.
