नवीनतम
Akshay Bhatia claims dramatic win, books Augusta Masters spot
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Indian American golfer Akshay Bhatia prevailed in a playoff to script a dramatic win at the valero Texas Open and earn his spot at next week's Augusta Masters, his first berth into a major tournament.
It was virtually the last spot left at the Augusta Masters and Bhatia claimed it after staving off a serious challenge from Denny McCarthy, who birdied eight of the last nine holes at the TPC San Antonio here.
The 22-year-old Bhatia (67), who started the day four shots ahead, went six clear before a stunning back-nine rally by McCarthy saw the two players tied at 20-under after 72 holes.
Bhatia then produced a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff and made birdie on the first extra hole to register an impressive wire-to-wire victory.
The win gets Bhatia into the Masters, a wish and promise he had made to his mother years ago. ''This is awesome,” he said.
''It's hard to win out there as it showed today. My mom's birthday was April 1 and her wish was to go to the Masters.'' The win earned Bhatia in excess of USD 1.6m and 500 FedEx He also qualifies for the US Open with his second PGA TOUR victory, and he moves to No. 34 in the world.
