Who doesn’t love watching a lefty emerge on the scene on the PGA Tour?
First, we had Phil Mickelson, then we had Bubba Watson. Mike Weir wasn’t bad either and Brian Harman came of age at golf’s oldest major in 2023.
Akshay Bhatia appears to be the new kid on the block doing it for the lefties. He broke through on the PGA Tour at the Barracuda Championship in 2023 and joined the PGA Tour as a full member, having been a Special Temporary Member.
This playoff win over Patrick Rodgers was the crowning moment of his career on the PGA Tour until he arrived at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
Bhatia dominated proceedings and at one stage, he held a six-shot lead in the final round before Denny McCarthy rallied with eight birdies on the back nine.
The pair went to a playoff on the par 5 18th hole where McCarthy dunked his third shot in the water short of the green which allowed Bhatia to take the victory and book his spot at the Masters.
He has not managed to win on Tour since but no doubt will be hoping for a better 2026 and going better in the majors – where his best current finish has been T30 at The Open Championship 2025.
Bhatia’s bag is Callaway from top to bottom and recently became a TravisMathew apparel ambassador. He joined the popular equipment brand at the age of 17 when he turned professional in September 2019.
At the top of his bag, the young American uses the 2026 Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max driver. This is an interesting move as he chose not to game the 2024 Ai-Smoke or 2025 Elyte drivers and so must be impressed with the 2026 offering.
