Akshay Bhatia produced the round of the day — a stunning 8-under 63 — to vault into T-19 at the RBC Heritage, putting himself firmly back in contention.
The 24-year-old bounced back from an opening 73 with a blistering display, climbing 46 spots to reach 6-under for the week.
Bhatia’s round featured 11 birdies, offset by a bogey and a double, as he overwhelmed the course with aggressive scoring. After a steady start, he caught fire on the back nine with six birdies to sign for the lowest round of the day.
Sahith Theegala matched Bhatia at T-19 after a 4-under 67, moving to 6-under (69-67). His round was high-risk, high-reward — two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys highlighting an eventful day.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju also made a move, carding a 5-under 66 to climb to T-46 at 2-under. A run of four consecutive birdies to close his round underlined his growing confidence.
At the top, Matt Fitzpatrick set the pace with a flawless 8-under 63 to reach 14-under, holding a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland (13-under).
Harris English sits third at 10-under, while Ludvig Åberg slipped back after a 71 to join Patrick Cantlay and Sepp Straka at 9-under.
Scottie Scheffler is within striking distance at 7-under (T-14), while FedEx Cup leader Cameron Young remains further back at T-35.
What it means: Bhatia’s 63 changes the narrative — from chasing the cutline to chasing the leaders.
What’s next: With the leaderboard tightly packed, another low round could push the Indian-American into the final-day mix.
Photo – PGAT
Story by – V Krishnaswamy
