The Open Championship was underway since the 16th of July in Hoylake, England, where many prolific golfers earned an exemption and played for one of the most esteemed titles. Meanwhile, back in the States, the PGA Tour had another important event underway for those golfers who were not part of Royal Liverpool’s grand finale.
The Barracuda Championship is a unique event that uses a scoring system unlike the norms of golf seen on a daily basis. Instead of fewer strokes, the players earn points for each extraordinary shot they make and lose points for delivering bad shots.
Amid the complexity of the gameplay, a rising star made his way to the top of the leaderboard at the Tahoe Mountain Club in California.
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Akshay Bhatia emerges victorious as Cuda Champ
The 4th round started off splendidly in California but not for Akshay Bhatia. Still, he persevered, let his confidence take charge, and by the end, he came out on top. His joy was unbound, although he was overwhelmed, so much so that he said, “I mean, I can’t even talk.”
Of course, he did share his experience, talking about the double bogey and how he made up for it with great shots on 8th and 9th. “It’s a crazy feeling,” he smiled and shared what he said to his caddie, Brian Daly. “In your brain and everything, you can feel all this adrenaline, all the shakiness and it’s pretty crazy,” Bhatia expressed with his emotions floating to the surface with the rush from the victory.
"It's a dream come true."@AkshayBhatia_1 was emotional after capturing the first win of his career @CudaChamp. pic.twitter.com/at8pGBgSGD
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 24, 2023
The Cuda Champ admitted that he has a lot of faith in himself and even though he wasn’t maintaining his usual 3-putt, he wasn’t disappointed. That confidence and can-do attitude helped him “get it done.” he also spoke of how he had ups and downs since going pro but that he knew he would eventually get his win.
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How Bhatia earned his title
His first hole came with a bogey which earned him a negative point. He made up for it with a birdie at 2nd, which instigated his marvelous point system. he had another bogey on 4, and a double bogey on 5, but he kept going. After making up for his negative scores with three more birdies on the front 9, Bhatia came out swinging in the back 9, making 3 birdies and finishing with a total of 68 in round 4.
Once all the scores came in, the winner tied with fellow American golfer Patrick Rodgers, each with +40 as per the Stableford scoring system. A playoff ensued between the two pro golfers, both in need of their maiden win. Due to an unfortunate divot on the fairway, Rodgers bogeyed while Bhatia emerged triumphant and earned his maiden title at the age of 21.
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What are your thoughts on Bhatia’s exemplary win? Do you prefer the Stableford scoring system? Share your thoughts and ideas with us below.
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