HOUSTON – Akshay Bhatia will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the PGA Texas Open after overcoming an early wobble and a bout of nerves to card a four-under 68 on April 6.
Bhatia, who led by five strokes after the second round on April 5, bounced back after two bogeys in his first seven holes to mount a charge on the back nine at TPC San Antonio.
The 22-year-old from California reached the turn at one under for the day after a birdie on the ninth, and then grabbed another birdie on the 14th.
He rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th to move to three under and then saw his birdie putt on the 18th curl around the cup before dropping in for a 15-under 201.
Bhatia admitted he had struggled with nerves throughout his round, revealing that he had consulted his sports psychologist on April 5 for help in navigating the challenges of the weekend. A win here will qualify him for his first Masters, taking place from April 11 to 14.
“I was never calm today and it was the hardest thing to deal with,” the world No. 87 said. “It’s just so hard, you feel so tense and all these things in your stomach, your mind can kind of go one way. I kept to my game plan.”
Bhatia said his psychologist had given him useful advice after the second round.
“There are a couple of things he told me that really stuck and I just truly stuck to what I was trying to do this week,” he said.
“Whether I win tomorrow or not, it’s closer to my goal of where I want to be in a couple of months.”
His round left him four shots clear of compatriot Denny McCarthy, who carded a 67 to finish the third round on 11 under.
American Brendon Todd is a shot behind McCarthy on eight under after a 70, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (66) and American Russell Henley (71) are on seven under. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is a further shot back on six under after a 67.
His round included a bizarre incident on the 17th, where he drove the green despite the head flying off his driver. Aberg two-putted for birdie and then played the remainder of the round with a back-up driver.
He said a loose screw connecting the head to the shaft had been responsible.
“It’s on me,” he said. “I should have checked. It was bizarre, quite surreal. But at the end of the day, I feel like I put a pretty good swing on it and that’s all that matters.”
Four players are tied for seventh place on five under, including Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who scrambled his way around to make a 72.
McIlroy’s round began with a double-bogey six on the first, but he clawed those shots back with birdies on the second and sixth holes to reach the turn at level par.
However, bogeys on the 11th and 16th sent him sliding down the leaderboard before back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 helped him back to par. AFP
