“I feel like I’ve earned my way there” - Akshay Bhatia shares the ‘bitter’ feeling after recent PGA announcement

The controversy surrounding the possible absence of Akshay Bhatia from the FedEx Cup playoffs continues, with less than 48 hours to go before the beginning of the tournament. Bhatia thinks he has "earned his way there."

This was stated by Bhatia on the radio show Hitting the Green, on the New York station SiriusXM. In the interview, the golfer reflected on his state of mind in the situation in which he finds himself.

This is part of what Akshay Bhatia said:

"It's definitely different, you know, I feel like being on Special Temporary Membership this year, and being a part of the PGA Tour from pretty much majority of the season, and then kind of feel like I've done everything to get into the playoffs, it's a little bitter but, you know, the rule is to protect the PGA Tour members from other members coming in and taking their WGC spots."

He added:

"I don't know when exactly this rule went into effect, but, it's definitely a little tender to me because I feel like I've kind of earned my way there and, you know, deserve the opportunity to do it. But thankfully I have one more week to be able to accomplish it and if not, it is what it is. I still have a pretty nice schedule next year going to Hawaii and the Players in the PGA, so..."

Akshay Bhatia and the FedEx Cup

Akshay Bhatia is ranked 99th on the FedEx Cup roster, with only the Wyndham Championship left to play, starting Thursday. Bhatia has so far accumulated 435 valid points for the ranking.

This means that he still has a chance to reach the Top 70 which would guarantee him a spot in the post-season playoffs. If he were to win the Wyndham Championship, he might even climb into the Top 50.

Akshay Bhatia, Barracuda Championship - Final Round (Image via Getty).

However, the feeling of many, including Bhatia, is that he shouldn't be in this situation with the qualifying window so close to closing. Bhatia has had one of the best seasons of his career, if not the best.

In 2022-23, Akshay Bhatia won his first tournament on the PGA Tour (Barracuda Championship). He also finished as the runner-up in the Puerto Rico Open, and had another two Top 10s and two other Top 25s.

However, the rules of the circuit did not favor him. Bhatia didn't get official membership from the tour until after he won the Barracuda Championship. He previously held the status of 'Special Temporary Membership'.

With that status, Bhatia had fewer opportunities to earn points for the FedEx Cup. This is because in certain tournaments, playoff points are not awarded to Special Temporary Members because DP World Tour players participate in those events.

Unfortunately, Bhatia's best results came precisely in tournaments of this type. Even the Barracuda Championship belonged to this category, although in that event, Bhatia did get points for being the champion. Even so, there were fewer points (300) for the winner in that tournament than in regular tournaments (500).

Therefore, Akshay Bhatia's only chance is to get a good result at the Wyndham Championship. Some media outlets estimate that a fourth place (or better) finish would give him the pass.