Written By: Radha Seth

Akshay Bhatia, a 19-year-old enthusiastic golfer became the first to hit all 18 greens at the verdant fairways of AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since Ryan Palmer in 2008 shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the opening round and a tie for third with Norway’s Henrik Norlander. 

Bhatia, who hails from North Carolina, had started to hit the ground running at the back nine and made a switch from an arm-lock length putter to a shorter model. He had shot three marvelous birdies before shooting for five birdies in the final eight holes.

Akshay Bhatia at the Pebble Beach Links  

"I was peeling an orange and it was so bad that I was just thinking about the orange and my caddie goes, ‘OK, we got 207.’ I said, ‘OK, I got to go.’ And I don’t know, just kind of hit-and-see kind of thing,” he said. “It was a great birdie to steal there and just pretty happy with that.” Bhatia Quoted. (Source: Golfweek)

This tournament at the sprawling golf links of Pebble Beach marked Bhatia’s lowest score in 26 PGA Tour rounds as a Pro Golfer. To add on to his spectacular performance at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he had shot a pair of 66s in September at the Safeway Open, wherein he capped off in a tie for ninth and won prize money of $166,650.

“It’s indescribable, honestly,” he said of playing on the PGA Tour at such a young age. “I’ve just learned a lot how to get beaten up and when your highs are highs it’s really good out here and it’s good enough to compete out here, so take it day by day.” (Source: Golfweek)

The teen sensation has been trudging down the path of a ‘road less trodden’, and has decided to skip college and turn himself into a professional golfer as soon as he turns 18. Let’s see what turn this golf tournament at Pebble Beach brings to his life.