Akshay Bhatia earns Special Temporary Membership with runner-up at Puerto Rico Open

The first question was floated in Akshay Bhatia’s final-round interview at the Puerto Rico Open, and the 21-year-old was struck as raw emotion quickly bubbled to the surface.

Bhatia finished runner-up in Puerto Rico, two back of Nico Echavarria, but departed Grand Reserve GC with a meaningful trophy of his own. Bhatia accrued 165 non-member FedExCup points, pushing his season-long total to 230 non-member points, well past the threshold to secure Special Temporary Membership – and the ability to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions – for the remainder of the 2022-23 TOUR season.

This is the kid who said in his debut TOUR press conference at the 2019 Valspar Championship that he wasn’t familiar with the term “adversity.” His progression in early years as a pro was not linear, struggling at times to gain comfort at the highest level, with injury also adversely impacting his first Korn Ferry Tour season (2022) after a victory at the season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. He didn’t record another top-10 that season, and he fell short of a TOUR card via the season-long standings.

Safe to say, Bhatia has been no stranger to adversity early in his pro career. He defied conventional wisdom as he turned pro at age 17, forgoing a more traditional college route. His game displayed flashes at times, but inconsistency was a defining trait of his early-career story.

So after he concluded the Puerto Rico Open with a final-round, 7-under 65, punctuated by four consecutive closing birdies – including a chip-in at the par-3 16th and a mind-bending approach to 15 feet from a fairway bunker, inches from the lip, on the very next hole – everything coalesced.

And he allowed himself to feel it.

“I can’t believe I’m crying,” Bhatia said Sunday after taking a second to compose himself. “It means a lot. Worked really hard; it’s been a crazy journey, for sure. Last year was really disappointing; I got hurt and didn’t get my card through the Korn Ferry Tour. It’s crazy. I have so many people to thank … it’s a crazy day. Didn’t even know I shot 7 under. Chipped in three times on the same hole through this week.

“This is a great story, and I want to write a book about my life and my journey. It’s definitely going to be a really good chapter, for sure.”

Bhatia doesn’t qualify for THE PLAYERS Championship, but he’ll allow himself to enjoy a celebratory week off. After turning 21 on Jan. 31, he can even enjoy a libation in the United States.

He’ll return to action at the Valspar Championship outside Tampa in two weeks, the site of that maiden TOUR start and memorable press conference. His top-10 finish in Puerto Rico solidified that spot with no sponsor exemption needed. Also accomplishing that feat in Puerto Rico were Korn Ferry Tour member John VanDerLaan, who finished T7 as a Monday qualifier, and TOUR Past Champion member Wesley Bryan, who finished solo sixth, his first top-10 on either the TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour since 2017.

(Korn Ferry Tour pro Ryan Gerard, who earned a spot in Puerto Rico via a fourth-place finish at The Honda Classic as a Monday qualifier, finished T11 at Grand Reserve GC to miss a Valspar berth in agonizingly close fashion. Gerard hovered in the top 10 for the majority of Sunday afternoon, after closing the week with back-to-back birdies, before he was bumped by late birdies from Harry Higgs and Harry Hall.)

After the Valspar, Bhatia will turn his attention to accruing enough non-member FedExCup points to place inside the top 125 at season’s end and solidify his status for 2024. He’s not afraid to set his sights high; last fall at The RSM Classic, into which he Monday qualified, he spoke of his desire to someday become the No. 1 player in the world.

Bhatia’s results are catching up to his potential, and he’s just as excited as anyone to see what’s next.

“It’s going to be a lot of emotion,” Bhatia said of achieving Special Temporary Membership. “I know my dad’s going to really cry, which I’ve only seen him do one time. My goal this whole year was to finish No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour (standings), play that way, get my card that way. But you know, just a different path. I’ve been in this position before, and it really makes me happy that I’ve handled it so much better and learned from all the experiences I’ve had.

“I mean, how can you not be happy being on the PGA TOUR?”