SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia hurt his left shoulder Sunday as he raised his arm for a 12-foot birdie to clinch a playoff berth and almost celebrated too soon. He recovered to birdie his first extra hole and win the Valero Texas Open over the hapless Denny McCarthy, earning him a spot in the Masters.
It was a wild finish on so many levels.
McCarthy had a six-stroke lead heading into the back nine at TPC San Antonio, but made 12-foot birdies on eight of nine holes (including the final seven) for a 9-under 63. Bhatia had to make a birdie putt from the start. There are opportunities in the same range.
He succeeded with 67 points, Raise and shake your arm at the moment of clutch. And that’s when he felt his shoulder, which he says he’s had problems with before, pop out of its socket.
Bhatia hit his tee shot on the par-5 18th hole in the playoff and laid it up with a 5-iron.
McCarthy, playing in his 174th winless event on the PGA Tour, played first and hit his wedge so hard that he quickly bowed out. The ball went 20 yards short into the middle of the creek.
Bhatia then jogged slightly off course to seek treatment and have his shoulder taped. He went back and hit a wedge to 6 feet. He needed three putts to win, but holed out for his second PGA Tour victory.
“Man, what a crazy, crazy day,” Bhatia said.
Bhatia, 22, turned pro five years ago and won the Barracuda Championship last summer. He could not compete in the Masters because it was held on the opposite side of the Open.
Bhatia ‘sticks to game plan’ at Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia talks about winning the Valero Texas Open by defeating Denny McCarthy in a playoff and looks ahead to the Masters at Augusta National.
This guy did it. his first trip to Augusta National. And that was 10 years after Bhatia played in the National Drive, Chip and Putt finals at the home of the Masters. He is now able to play beyond the 18th green, fulfilling his mother’s wish.
“This is amazing,” he said. “As today’s match showed, it’s hard to win there. Her mother’s birthday was April 1st, and her mother’s wish was to go to the Masters.”
McCarthy had already qualified by finishing in the world’s top 50 last year, but at this moment all that mattered was the elusive PGA Tour trophy. He lost in the playoffs last year at the Viktor Hovland Monument.
Given the circumstances, this might have been even more shocking. After Battier, who started the final round with a four-shot lead, birdied three of the first four holes and extended his advantage to six shots on the turn, it looked like McCarthy had no chance.
There was a two-shot swing on the 10th, where Battier missed a 5-foot par putt and McCarthy, one of the best putters on tour, made an 18-foot par putt for birdie. Bhatia responded with a birdie on the 11th, but the rest was McCarthy Shaw.
He hit a 30-footer on the 12th, hit a 5-iron to 4 feet on the long par-3 13th, shot from 10 feet on the par-5 14th, and held a 40-foot chip on the 15th for a one-shot lead. It was crowded. He made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th.
Highlights: McCarthy scores 28 points on back nine
Denny McCarthy made eight birdies on the back nine of the Valero Texas Open, forcing a sudden-death playoff with eventual champion Akshay Bhatia.
Bhatia missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 17th, McCarthy went up and down from the rough for birdie — and the two tied going to the 18th.
McCarthy was the first to make a birdie putt and was on his way to victory. And while Battier had his own moment, matching him at 20-under 268 and forcing a playoff, it was a disaster for McCarthy.
“I wish I could have hit a wedge shot there,” McCarthy said. “I backed up a few times. There was a bug on my ball, there was a noise in the stands, and a bug jumped on my ball. I probably should have backed up again, but I still didn’t want to get distracted. Maybe it helped a little bit because I was able to do that. It’s probably a learning experience for me.”
Rory McIlroy shot a 66 in his final tournament before the Masters to take sole third place, making him the only major away from a career Grand Slam.
McIlroy finished second and started the year with back-to-back wins in Dubai. This was his first top 10 finish on the PGA Tour.
“We’re in a better place than we were a few weeks ago,” he said. “It was nice to see a round like this today and it was nice to play in a golf tournament. …Obviously it’s going to put a fair number of shots on Denny and Akshay, but still, some He played quite consistently in difficult conditions.”
He finished nine shots out of the playoffs.
Bhatia will be the first drive, chip and putt finalist to play at the Masters. This contest is one of several innovations by Augusta National. The Asia Pacific Amateur also began, with young champion Hideki Matsuyama winning the green jacket.
“I achieved the goal I had in mind,” Bhatia said.
This includes a trip to Augusta National Park. His second win on the PGA Tour also earned him a spot in the US Open and moved him up to No. 34 in the world rankings.