“He’s one of a kind” Akshay Bhatia shares inspirational story about Phil Mickelson's "Masters notepad"

Akshay Bhatia turned professional in 2019 and made his debut on the PGA Tour in 2023. The 22-year-old has since won two titles along with nine finishes in the top ten and is a very promising golfer. Having debuted in his first major championship last year at the Masters, he sought guidance from a veteran.

The 2024 Valero Texas Open champion earned his spot for the Augusta Masters following his second win as a professional. With less than a few days to prepare himself physically and mentally, he was under immense pressure and anxiety. That's when he reached out to three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson for advice.

On a recent episode of Golf Digest's The Loop podcast, Bhatia revealed the treasure trove of advice and experience Mickelson shared with him during the practice round. He said (via Golf Digest):

"You know, he's got this notepad from, I think he said from 2003 maybe, of all his notes that he's written down over the years of Augusta and, you know, what certain putts do or what certain chips do. Probably that thick. And, you know, we practiced a bit that day. We were on 14 and we put one of the putting disks back left pin...He goes, 'Most guys leave this putt about 7-8 feet short'. So I hit my first put and I left it 7 to 8 feet short...He's one of a kind."

Here's a look into the clip from the podcast (via Instagram @golfdigest):

Mickelson has played the Masters nearly every year since his debut at the tournament in 1991 as an amateur. He has a very "thick" notebook filled with tips and tricks for every hole on the course from 2003 onwards. The LIV Golf star shared his wisdom and learnings with the rising 22-year-old PGA Tour star.

Bhatia's experience playing with him during the practice round was both humbling and inspiring. Despite having less than five days to prepare, he made the cut and finished tied for 35th place.

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Akshay Bhatia's performance at the 2024 Masters

Akshay Bhatia tied for 35th place with Camilo Villegas and Kurt Kitayama with a total four-day score of six over par. The 22-year-old opened up his debut at the tournament with an even-par 72 score on the first day.

The two-time PGA Tour winner followed it up with a three over par 75 the next day. He bettered himself by one stroke on Saturday before carding a final-round score of one over par 73.

Here's a look into Bhatia's stats for the 2024 Masters (via PGA Tour)

Scores

• Round 1 - 72 (even par)
• Round 2 - 75 (3 over par)
• Round 3 - 74 (2 over par)
• Round 4 - 73 (1 over par)
• Total - 6 over par (T35)

Birdies

• Round 1 - 2
• Round 2 - 2
• Round 3 - 3
• Round 4 - 2
• Total - 9

Pars

• Round 1 - 14
• Round 2 - 11
• Round 3 - 11
• Round 4 - 13
• Total - 49

Bogeys

• Round 1 - 2
• Round 2 - 5
• Round 3 - 3
• Round 4 - 3
• Total - 13

Double Bogeys

• Round 1 - 0
• Round 2 - 0
• Round 3 - 1
• Round 4 - 0
• Total - 1