Akshay Bhatia

While Brian Harman was winning The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023, left-hander Akshay Bhatia was capturing his first PGA Tour title at the co-sanctioned Barracuda Championship, beating Patrick Rodgers at the first extra hole.  

He was in another play-off at the Valero Texas Open the following year and by starting it with a birdie to defeat Denny McCarthy, he grabbed a spot in The Masters.

It made Bhatia the first player to return to Augusta National after first competing in their Drive, Chip and Putt event for youngsters. He represented the United States in the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup, 2018 Junior Ryder Cup and 2019 Walker Cup, finishing on the winning team each time.

A runner-up at the 2018 US Junior Amateur, he played his first PGA Tour event the following season after receiving a sponsor invite to the Valspar Championship – he was only 17 at the time – and turned professional later the same season.

Royal Troon in 2024 represented his first appearance at The Open, and after a promising start to 2025 which included a T3 at THE PLAYERS Championship and top-10s at The Genesis Invitational and Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, he returned to the Championship at Royal Portrush and ended the week in a tie for 30th.

He secured a third Open appearance at Royal Birkdale by being among the top-30 in the final 2025 FedExCup points list.