Akshay Bhatia was paired with Brandt Snedeker during the first two rounds of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
Bhatia posted rounds of 67 and 65 to sit in a tie for sixth heading into the weekend, and he is currently just two strokes adrift of the leader, Jordan Smith.
Meanwhile, Snedeker made the cut on the number at the Charles Schwab Challenge after posting a second round 68 at Colonial.
Snedeker may well have been keeping an eye on Bhatia during the first two rounds of play at the Charles Schwab Challenge, with the Presidents Cup just around the corner now.
The 24-year-old is currently ranked 12th in the Presidents Cup points list.
With only six places getting into the U.S. team automatically, Bhatia will have to start playing consistently well between now and the end of the season, if he doesn’t want to rely on a captain’s pick.
What Akshay Bhatia’s caddie told him about Brandt Snedeker
Bhatia was hot property in the summer after being courted by LIV Golf, but he decided to remain with the PGA Tour in the end.
That was the correct decision, and it’s clear to see that he will go on to become a big star at some point in the very near future.
Getting on the Presidents Cup team in September will be a big stepping stone for Bhatia on his path to greatness.
However, there was a point this week in Fort Worth, Texas, when the pressure of playing alongside the Presidents Cup captain may have been getting to Bhatia.
Bhatia was struggling early on during his first round at Colonial, and his caddie, Joe Greiner, gave him some very solid advice.
“Yeah, Joe mentioned maybe he thought I was thinking about it,“ the three-time PGA Tour winner said.
“But he said, ‘Brandt’s not looking at how you’re playing golf right now, it’s more how you’re handling certain things’.
“So I took that with me, and even subconsciously maybe I am thinking about it, playing with the Presidents Cup captain, I did it with Keegan and I was pretty nervous.
“So, yeah, you just keep learning about how you feel and what it means to you and obviously to play in a team event everyone really talks highly about it, and to be a part of those teams, you build bonds and that’s what I want to do.“
Akshay Bhatia on mental block with the driver
Bhatia was asked by reporters why he has been struggling so badly with the driver recently.
“I feel like I’m doing all right, it’s just interesting, I worked so hard — this last week I probably hit 300 drivers just trying to get it dialed or what feels like I guess, working towards a better miss,“ he replied.
“It’s interesting, like I think I can go be at home and hit it on the range and hit it very solid, hit it, hit the same shape.
“Then once I get on the golf course I’m just struggling with, I don’t know what it is, because I feel, I don’t feel like I’m scared of anything.
“But subconsciously something is going on, so again, I just got to keep doing my thing and it will happen, it’s just going to take a lot of work.“
Bhatia has still struggled with his driving this week at Colonial, and is ranked 64th in strokes gained off the tee.
He will definitely have to sharpen up off the tee over the weekend if he is to have any chance of winning the Charles Schwab Challenge.
