Skip Bayless has told Akshay Bhatia to focus on the positives after a tough end to the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday. Bhatia, one of the PGA Tour's best young players, went into the final round at Detroit Golf Club tied for the lead with England's Aaron Rai, but a three-putt on the last hole cost the 22 year old his third tour title.
It was Bhatia's first three-putt of the week. He had a 32-foot putt for the win but left it four feet short. A par would have forced a playoff with Australia's Cam Davis , but Bhatia misjudged the break, and his putt lipped out. "It sucks," Bhatia admitted afterwards. "No other way to put it. I mean, just sucks."
The miss was surprising given the left-hander's history of clutch moments in his short career. He added: "I know how to close a golf tournament; I've done it before. Today just wasn't my day."
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FOX Sports pundit Bayless said things are looking good for the young star, who has already won on tour this season and is often near the top of the leaderboard.
"Feel for Akshay Bhatia, suffering his first three-putt of the week on 18, pulling a downhill, hard-breaking four-footer that cost him a playoff vs. Cam Davis," Bayless posted on X. "But can't feel too sorry for Akshay... he won at San Antonio and he's in contention WEEK AFTER WEEK."
Bhatia, Rai, Davis Thompson, and Min Woo Lee were all in the mix for the win, but it was Davis who edged ahead with a one-shot lead at 18-under-par, marking a nail-biting finale in Detroit. This victory marks the second PGA Tour win for the 29 year old Davis, mirroring his previous success at the same tournament back in 2021.
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Davis, who had been battling to find his form this season, shared his heartfelt reaction: "From where I was a couple of weeks ago to today, it's just completely different," he admitted, visibly moved by his turnaround. "I'm a little emotional actually."
After his impressive comeback, Davis, ranked 38th in the world, humbly spoke to CBS, saying: "I wouldn't wish what happened to Akshay on anyone but I've done a lot of grinding to try and get myself out of a hole and to just all of a sudden do that, it's pretty good."
He also expressed gratitude for the support that helped him through tough times: "I've got so many people behind me that have helped me along the way. I had a lot of support to kind of get me out of the doldrums there. I saw a little bit of a spark last week but nothing to show this coming so this is great."
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