Akshay Bhatia gets candid about 17-year-old golfer turning pro, sheds light on modern college golf

Akshay Bhatia recently got candid about Blades Brown, the latest golfer to turn pro. He wished the 17-year-old all the best and also emphasized that current college golfers are more skilled than when he turned pro five years ago at the same age.

Bhatia is at Kapalua Plantation Golf Course for the Sentry 2025, the first signature event of the year. Recently, he was on Golf Digest's 'The Loop Podcast,' hosted by Christopher Powers, Alex Myers, and Steve Hennessey. During the podcast, the hosts touched upon a lot of topics, including Blades Brown, who has turned pro and will soon make his first start as a professional.

Bhatia, who shares the same agent as Blades, said he didn't know much about the young golfer but went on to extend his best wishes for his future.

"It feels like he's ready, like I was when I was 17," he said. "And so, yeah, it's going to be an exciting start for his journey. I'm sure it'll probably take him less time than it took for me. I feel like a lot of guys now coming out of college are more ready than when I came out.

"It's just very different in this day and age of golf, even though I've been doing it for five years. So, I'm sure he's going to experience and learn a lot. It's going to be exciting for him, obviously. He's going to start at the American Express, so getting your feet wet early on the PGA Tour is a great learning experience."

Brown made his PGA Tour debut at the Myrtle Beach Classic where he tied for 26th.

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When will Akshay Bhatia tee off at the Sentry 2025?

Akshay Bhatia is paired with Nick Dunlap and Matt Fitzpatrick for the second round of the Sentry 2025. The trio will tee off on Friday, January 3 at 4:15 pm ET. Following the first-round 71, Bhatia was tied for 30th at 2-under, seven strokes behind the leader Tom Hoge.

Akshay Bhatia made a double bogey on the par 5, 5th hole but this was his only error of the day as he picked up four birdies in the remaining round. Hoge made a lone bogey on the sixth hole but picked up 10 birdies to take a one-shot lead after Day 1.

The second round of the Sentry 2025 will begin on Thursday at 12:45 pm ET, with Rafael Campos, Viktor Hovland, and Byeong Hun An being the first group of the day.