At the Charles Schwab Challenge held at Colonial in Fort Worth, Indian-American golfer Akshay Bhatia put on a notable performance, carding a 3-under 70 for a tied 11th position in the opening round. Despite facing back-to-back bogeys on his second nine, Bhatia demonstrated resilience by securing five birdies throughout the round, four of which came in his first ten holes.
Currently ranked 30th in the world, Bhatia previously reached a career-high 21st, and he has shown consistent improvement this season with strong finishes, including a fourth place at the Hero World Challenge and a third place at the Players Championship. His performance is encouraging as he aims to solidify his status among the top golfers.
On the leaderboard, rookie John Pak emerged as the leader after shooting an impressive 63, holding a three-shot edge over a pack of nine players, with J.J. Spaun as the highest-ranked contender among them at 27th. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who recently clinched his third major title at the PGA Championship, finished the day tied for 20th with a score of 68.
The competition continues to heat up, with Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman also within striking distance, four shots behind Pak. Defending champion Davis Riley faced challenges with two double bogeys, finishing 3-over 73.
As the tournament progresses, Bhatia’s impressive round serves as a beacon of hope for his supporters, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to perform against some of the sport’s best players.