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On Sunday, June 30, Akshay Bhatia finished runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after three-putting for a bogey on the final hole. The unexpected choke was shocking for him and golf fans, as he handed the win over to Cam Davis.
Bhatia entered the Sunday finale at the Detroit Golf Club with a 54-hole lead. Given his solid play throughout the week, he was poised as the favorite to lift the title. He made his first bogey of the week on the third hole but quickly recovered with two birdies. On the 13th hole, his tee shot traveled just 97 yards into the trees, but he managed to save par.
The 22-year-old golfer still held the lead until he made a big blunder on the 18th. He first missed the putt attempt from 30 feet, as the shot lacked the power to reach the hole. On his next putt attempt, the ball veered right of the hole, resulting in Davis claiming his second win on the PGA Tour.
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If Bhatia had won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he would have become only the sixth golfer to win three titles before turning 23 in modern PGA Tour history. For the uninitiated, he won the Barracuda Championship last year and the Valero Texas Open this April.
"Just sucks" - Akshay Bhatia reflects on his shocking choke at the Rocket Mortgage Classic
During the post-round interview, Akshay Bhatia reflected on his missed opportunity at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
"It sucks, no other way to put it," he said. "I mean, just sucks.
"I made a great par on 13," he added. "Hit that tree off the tee and managed to make par. That was a big momentum thing for me. Hit a lot of good shots down the stretch, so yeah, I mean, I know how to close a golf tournament, I've done it before, just today wasn't my day."
Bhatia aggregated at 17-under after four rounds and tied with Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee, and Aaron Rai as joint runner-up. He bagged $616,400 for a T2 finish while Cameron Davis took $1.656 million home for his second win on the Tour.
So far, Akshay Bhatia has made three top-10s this season including one win, and is 11th in the FedEx Cup standings.
