Akshay Bhatia is a contender in the final round of the 2025 The Players Championship, the PGA Tour's crown jewel event at TPC Sawgrass on the Stadium Course in Florida. If he can surge up the leaderboard in the final round, Bhatia could secure his third PGA Tour win.
Bhatia is 23 years old, and he is in the field at The Players Championship because he finished inside the top 50 in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings.
For Bhatia, his journey to the PGA Tour and his lengthy career on the tour is a remarkable story.
Bhatia was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He was a standout junior golfer, and he chose to skip collegiate golf and turn pro right out of high school. It was a choice criticized heavily at the time, but now it looks smart.
Bhatia is hitting his prime
Akshay Bhatia has won at every level, including as an amateur and after he turned pro in 2019, the year he played on the US Walker Cup team.
Bhatia got to the PGA Tour after some time on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning the 2022 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and ultimately getting enough points to just finish outside of a guaranteed card.
In 2022-2023 on the PGA Tour, Bhatia earned opportunities to play, and he took advantage with a runner-up at the Puerto Rico Open, a fourth-place finish at the Mexico Open at Vidanta and ultimately earned membership with a win at the Barracuda Championship in July by beating Patrick Rodgers in a playoff.
Bhatia has two career PGA Tour wins, coming at the 2023 Barracuda Championship and 2024 Valero Texas Open.
Entering this week, Bhatia was ranked 31st in the Official World Golf Ranking and 40th in the FedEx Cup standings.
In his personal life, Bhatia is has a girlfriend, Presleigh Schultz who has served as his caddie in the past.
What a win at The Players Championship means
With a win today, Spaun would earn the benefits of being a Players Championship winner, including a five-year PGA Tour exemption. He would also earn a place in all four majors for the next three years in full. And, according to the 2025 The Players Championship payout, he would win $4.5 million to top it all off.
