Akshay Bhatia defeated Denny McCarthy on the first playoff hole to complete a wild win at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday at TPC San Antonio.
Bhatia began the day with a four-shot lead but went to a playoff after McCarthy finished his round with seven straight birdies for an 8-under 28 on the back nine and a final-round 63.
“Denny just played unbelievable,” Bhatia said. “It was like, this guy was just not human. When you see that, you’re like, ‘crap,’ like I’m not doing anything that bad and yet my lead is going from five to four to three to two to one.”
Bhatia finished his 67 with a birdie on the par-5 18th but dislocated his left shoulder with a celebratory fist pump.
“When I made the putt in regulation, I raised my arm and I put it in kind of an uncomfortable spot, kind of dislocated, it came back in,” Bhatia said. “It’s happened before. I had this happen from pickleball and then had it happen in Bermuda, but it’s just going to feel a little loose. My physio, he’ll take care of me. I’m not too, too concerned, but it’s definitely a little uncomfortable right now.”
The players returned to the 18th tee, and Bhatia realized his shoulder was hurt after his drive. While Bhatia waited for a trainer to help him tape his shoulder, McCarthy put his third shot of the hole into the creek that runs alongside the green.
Bhatia promptly stuck his third shot 6 feet from the cup, and he drained his birdie to win the event and secure a berth into next week’s Masters.
“I kind of just told myself, let’s frickin’ go, like this is kind of your moment and you miss it, OK, you finish second,” Bhatia said. “But I just had that feeling that I can do it. It’s a good feeling to have because some people can kind of shy away from the moment and I feel like I’m starting to get better at embracing it.”
Bhatia, who competed in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt national finals at Augusta at age 12, is elated to return to the hallowed course as a professional.
“I can’t wait to go back,” he said. “I was watching a little bit today. Seeing these kids hit on the range, how people watch, it’s unbelievable. Just even seeing some players, you feel kind of like a pinch-me moment.”
Both players finished at 20-under 268 after McCarthy’s record-setting 28, which saw him drain birdie putts on the 10th and the 12th through 18th holes. Known as one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, McCarthy made a 32 1/2-footer at No. 12 and a 41-footer at No. 15 before a 12 1/2-foot putt from right to left at No. 18 got him to 20 under.
“Yeah, it was an amazing day obviously,” McCarthy said. “I was just trying to kind of continue what I have been doing all week and just strung together a lot of really good shots, a lot of good putts. … I kind of just got in my own little world out there, got in the zone and was able to put a little pressure on him on the back.”
Bhatia and McCarthy finished nine strokes ahead of third-place Rory McIlroy, who shot a final-round 66 to come in at 11 under. Though he finished well behind the leaders, the Irishman was pleased with his performance heading into the Masters.
“I’m in a better spot than I was a few weeks ago,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, it was nice to see a round like this today, nice to play a golf tournament where — I’m obviously going to finish quite a few shots behind Denny and Akshay — but still, I played pretty solid in some tough conditions and then whenever the course opened up for us a little bit today, I was able to take advantage of it. Feeling good.”
–Field Level Media
