“He's never lived a boring life” - Akshay Bhatia remembers ‘good guy’ Grayson Murray at RBC Canadian Open

Akshay Bhatia remembered Grayson Murray after his first round at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. The tournament is being held at Hamilton Golf & Country Club from May 30 to June 2 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Grayson Murray took his life last week after he withdrew from the 2024 Charles Schwab College. His death was announced by the PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement. Grief overtook the golf community after his sudden death.

In the post-round press conference, Akshay Bhatia remembered Grayson's kindness and generosity. He said (via Ten Golf):

"I think just allowing me to be in his little group and he's just always been such a good guy. He's never lived a boring life. He's had a lot of ups and downs and everything in between. But no matter what he always supported me. Anytime I got to see him smile and just talk to him, I knew he was one of the few guys out here that truly wanted me to play well." (1:34-2:05)

Bhatia said that Grayson lifted people's spirits even when he was down. Bhatia further said that he has been seeing Grayson since he was 13-14 years old. He was motivated and encouraged.

"But I just remember when I was 13-14 years old, I'd see him on the putting green at our golf course and I'd ask him 'what's it like being on the PGA tour, it's just so cool right?' and he always like dude you're going to be there trust me. And I don't know, he just always believed in me," he added (2:36-3:00).

He further said that he is lonely this week and staying alone. Bhatia was further asked what he learned from Grayson. He said (via Ten Golf):

"I mean out here it can be lonely. This week I'm staying alone, which is not always fun, it's not always glamorous and just having the support of a player and someone you look up to. And everything in between he's just taught me that to be kind to others." (3:01-3:19)

Akshay Bhatia finished with a 1-under 69 in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open. He scored four birdies and three bogeys on the first day. He is currently tied at 34th position, seven shots behind David Skinns.

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A look at Akshay Bhatia's performance in 2024

Akshay Bhatia has had a mixed 2024 season. He has had seven top-20 finishes in the 15 starts this season. However, he has failed to make the cut in six of the tournaments.

Bhatia started with consistent performance of T14 at The Sentry and T13 at the Sony Open. However, he missed the cut at the American Express tournament. He continued with a T13 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open but missed cuts in three consecutive tournaments.

His best performance of the year came at Valero Texas Open where he emerged victorious in a playoff over Denny McCarthy. He comes to the 2024 RBC Canadian Open after two missed cuts in his last two tournaments.

Let's take a look at Akshay Bhatia's performance in 2024:

• The Sentry: T14 (69-64-66-71, 270, -22)
• Sony Open in Hawaii: T13 (69-64-68-67, 268, -12)
• The American Express: Missed Cut (70-67-67, 204, -12)
• Farmers Insurance Open: T13 (70-71-69-70, 280, -8)
• WM Phoenix Open: Missed Cut (75-71, 146, +4)
• Cognizant Classic: Missed Cut (71-74, 145, +3)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Missed Cut (72-72, 144, E)
• Valspar Championship: T17 (74-68-70-68, 280, -4)
• Texas Children's Houston Open: T11 (67-68-67-69, 271, -9)
• Valero Texas Open: 1 (63-70-68-67-4, 268, -20)
• Masters Tournament: T35 (72-75-74-73, 294, +6)
• RBC Heritage: T18 (71-67-69-68, 275, -9)
• Wells Fargo Championship: 42 (74-70-71-74, 289, +5)
• PGA Championship: Missed Cut (73-70, 143, +1)
• Charles Schwab Challenge: Missed Cut (73-72, 145, +5)
• RBC Canadian Open: T34 (69, 69, -1)