Akshay Bhatia strengthens his maiden Masters 2024 entry by taking a 5-stroke lead at the Valero Texas Open

Akshay Bhatia is one of the main stars of the PGA Tour, who currently does not have a spot in the Masters field. Bhatia is looking for his ticket to the Valero Texas Open and, after 36 holes, he is comfortably leading the event.

Bhatia played the second round of the Valero Texas Open during the so-called "Morning Wave" and posted a score of 2 under. With this score, he extended his lead from the previous day to five strokes.

During the first round, Akshay Bhatia equaled his career lowest score record by shooting a bogey-free 9-under 63 score. This finish took him to the top of the leaderboard, three strokes ahead of the second-placed entrant.

On Friday, Akshay Bhatia posted another solid performance with four birdies and two bogeys. His 36-hole score of 11 under placed him five strokes ahead of Brendon Todd, Russell Henley and Justin Lower, all tied for second place.

However, only Todd and Henley have already finished the second round, as Lower started in the "Afternoon Wave."

The Valero Texas Open will award the final ticket to the 2024 Masters to the winner, if not otherwise exempt. If Akshay Bhatia is able to clinch victory, it would be his debut at the Augusta National.

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A look at Akshay Bhatia's career

Akshay Bhatia, 22, had an excellent amateur career, with 11 individual victories, including the 2017 Junior PGA Championship. In addition, he was part of the American teams that won the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup, the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup and the 2019 Walker Cup.

In 2019, he began his professional career on the Swing Thought Tour and the GPro Tour, two third-tier circuits. Between 2019 and 2021, he had three wins and other good finishes on these tours.

Bhatia earned his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2022 season and it didn't take long for him to stand out. He won his season opener tournament, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay.

However, the season did not continue on track as he faced injuries that led him to withdraw twice and miss 13 cuts in 24 tournaments. Despite his victory and three other Top 25 finishes, Bhatia was unable to earn his PGA Tour card.

The following year, after recovering from his injury, Bhatia finished second at the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, earning him Special Temporary Member status. He continued to play the rest of the season at the highest level.

His first victory on the PGA Tour came in July of the same year, when he won the Barracuda Championship. He finished the season with four more Top 10s and 19 cuts made in 26 tournaments.

However, that victory did not give him a place in the field of the Masters because it was an opposite event, whose winners are not awarded an invitation to Augusta National. However, Akshay Bhatia secured his PGA Tour card there until the end of the 2025 season.