Akshay Bhatia

While Brian Harman was winning The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023, left-hander Bhatia was capturing his first PGA Tour title at the co-sanctioned Barracuda Championship, beating Patrick Rodgers at the first extra hole.  

He was in another play-off at April’s Valero Texas Open and by starting it with a birdie to defeat Denny McCarthy, he grabbed the final spot in The Masters.

It made the 22-year-old the first player to return to Augusta National after first competing in their Drive, Chip and Putt event for youngsters. He represented the United States in the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup, 2018 Junior Ryder Cup and 2019 Walker Cup, finishing on the winning team each time.

A runner-up at the 2018 US Junior Amateur, he played his first PGA Tour event the following season after receiving a sponsor invite to the Valspar Championship – he was only 17 at the time – and turned professional later the same season.

The Barracuda victory swept him from 191st to 106th on the world rankings and his triumph in Texas from 87th to 34th, helping him to his first Open appearance by being among the game’s top 50 at the end of May.