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Akshay Bhatia hasn’t become a household name in the world of professional golf — although you may remember reading about his impressive win as a teenager on the Korn Ferry Tour last year — but that could soon change.
The 21-year-old battles it out in Mexico, shooting rounds of 68-65-63 to follow Tony Finau’s lead with just two strokes before the final round.
Bhatia will play in the final group alongside Finau and world number one John Ram.
Bhatia has yet to claim a PGA Tour title, but his career-best finish on the PGA Tour came earlier this year, at a similarly tropical venue: the Puerto Rico Open. As for what’s working for him this week, he says he has a new green reading technique to thank: AimPoint.
After the third round 63, Bhatia said, “It’s my first week doing this, and I really like it. I’m definitely excited. It’s great that you can make some shots, the pace is much better and more confidence in where I hit the ball, I know my stroke is good.” Really and I’m spinning it very well on a consistent basis. It’s really exciting for me just to keep figuring this out and getting better and better.”
According to Data Golf, Bhatia ranks second this week in SG: Putting, gaining an average of just over two putts per round. He’s behind captain John Rahm, whose third-round 61 sizzles a record.
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Accuracy in laser positioning
$39.99
Consider yourself a sniper, and your racket is the modified gun that helps you pin your aim. It puts our precision laser on top of your weapon (the putter) and shows you exactly how to improve your aim
So what is AimPoint? In basic terms, it is a way to read a green break with your feet by skipping the path of the ball into the hole. Once there, you can estimate how much slop you feel on a scale of 1 to 5. Next, close one eye, rack up the number of sloping fingers on either side of the hole where the fracture is, and aim your shot toward the outer toe. This is your “AimPoint!”
This method has been endorsed by a number of top professionals, including Justin Rose, Stacy Lewis, and Adam Scott. And depending on how Bhatia goes on to perform, chances are she’ll try it out at some point, too.