PLAYOFF FINISH: The 22-Year Old Punches His Ticket to Augusta

What a way to make it into the Masters.

Akshay Bhatia punched his ticket to Augusta Sunday night with a win at the Valero Texas Open. The 22-year-old cruised through the first 54 holes after opening with 63Thursday and turning that into a four stroke lead on Saturday night.

Shooting 67 on the Sunday would lead a to a runaway win, surely? Turns out, winning on TOUR is never easy. Denny McCarthy rattled off eight birdies in his last nine holes for a final round of 63 and a back nine 28. The pair were nine shots clear of Rory McIlroy in third, reminiscent of the duel of the ‘Sons’ in the 2016 Open at Troon when Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson created their own tournament out front.

The resulting playoff at -20 led to another birdie down 18 for Bhatia, as the 22 year old secured his second win on TOUR.

The putt that sent Akshay Bhatia to the Masters. 🙌pic.twitter.com/9fFxbc0KpJ

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 7, 2024

The birdie in the playoff means Bhatia is heading to Augusta next week to play in his first ever Masters, ten years after first heading there as a twelve year old in the drive, chip and putt finals at Augusta.

Bhatia turned pro at 17, after a very successful teenage career but he received pushback due to what many called a rash decision, avoiding the college route after his 2019 Walker Cup appearance.