Akshay Bhatia made par on the primary playoff gap to beat Patrick Rodgers and win the Barracuda Championship on Sunday in Truckee, Calif.
Bhatia, a 21-year-old taking part in on a particular short-term membership, is now totally exempt on the PGA Tour via 2025 because of his first profession victory within the tour’s alternate occasion reverse The Open Championship.
“I knew that if I got into position like this I could do it,” Bhatia mentioned on the Golf Channel broadcast. “I’ve done it at every level. Man, I felt uncomfortable out there. I made a really bad double (on No. 5). I hit some really bad shots, but then I kinda made some really nice (birdie) putts on 8 and 9 and started hitting some really good shots coming in.”
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The event at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Old Greenwood course is the one PGA Tour occasion that makes use of the Modified Stableford scoring format. The highest rating wins, with factors awarded for double eagles (eight), eagles (5) and birdies (two). Pars are value zero factors, whereas bogeys are minus-1 and double bogeys or worse are minus-3 factors.
Bhatia entered the day three factors off Rodgers’ lead however caught up with a plus-nine in his remaining spherical to complete plus-40 in regulation. Bhatia — who had two bogeys and a double bogey amongst his first 5 holes — sank a birdie putt at his 72nd gap to hit plus-40 earlier than Rodgers completed his spherical.
Rodgers had a birdie putt at No. 18 to win outright, nevertheless it missed badly to the suitable, and he completed his spherical plus-six.
Replaying the par-four 18th, Rodgers obtained an unfortunate break when his drive landed in a divot within the fairway. His second shot didn’t attain the inexperienced, and after getting on the floor in three, he missed an extended par putt.
That allowed Bhatia to two-putt for par to win a title that might change his younger profession.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Bhatia mentioned. “I was telling my caddie that your brain and everything, you can feel all this adrenaline, all this shakiness.”
Julien Guerrier of France (plus-20 Sunday) and Jens Dantorp of Sweden (plus-15) tied for third at plus-37. Ryan Gerard (plus-3) was fifth at plus-36.