The Valero Texas Open in San Antonio is full of excitement after the amazing first day of play from American young golfer Akshay Bhatia. Bhatia was on fire with a sizzling nine-under-par 63, taking a commanding three-shot lead after day one.
The second-ranked Rory McIlroy is now in a novel position. He is tied for 8th and 6 strokes behind Bhatia. McIlroy was off to a good start as he managed to shoot a bogey-free three-under 70 in his first round but he will have to step it up further if he wants to come out on top on Sunday.
Bhatia’s round was a definition of dispassionate aggression. He birdied the last four of his five holes on the last stretch of the game, displaying admirable composure.
“I was really solid, I got a couple of good breaks,” Bhatia mentioned after his round. “I was aware that I had two tricky tee shots to play, 15 and 18. If I could it somehow make it out with a par, maybe birdie 18, just play it how we had planned to, it will all work out.”
While K.Bhatia holds the lead the chasing is Brendon Todd and Justin Lower from the USA, who have both remained steady with the 66s to share second position. Maximum tit becomes just two behind the order of the four-under par score with a bunch of other golfers aiming to climb up the leaderboard.
Corey Conners, last year’s king of the hill, printed a satisfying 2-under-par 70, thus shaping him for the ascent. Disregarding the talent of all members of the team, Bhatia has shown that he can lead from the front and perform.
The 25-year-old already knows some success on the PGA Tour, most notably three top-10 finishes, but the maiden win just managed to escape his grasp. The Texas Open might just be the event where he can gain a significant footing in the huge world of pro golf events. Factor in his substantial carry-on approach shots and he just might have the puzzle of the difficult TPC San Antonio layout solved with his going hot with the putter right now.
Even if McIlroy, the runner-up, has not yet given up, he will have to make a major improvement in his shotmaking if he plans to bring home the title. When it comes to the Northern Irishman, he has improved his game this season, but it has still not crossed his mental threshold of being able to win necessary matches or grand slams. The prospect of his first win at the Texas Open gives Bhatia the zeal to fight tooth and nail and make the most of this golden opportunity, but the grand lead of his rival today will certainly pose a big challenge.
