Akshay Bhatia wowed the crowd with his performance at the St Jude Championship yesterday, holding the lead after the first day. One of the youngest players on the PGA Tour shot an eight-under-par 62, giving him a one-shot lead over second-place Tommy Fleetwood.
The 23-year-old golfer looked impressive from the start, finishing the first day with an eagle and two birdies.
Although Bhatia entered the FedEx Cup play-offs in 45th place, it seems he could maintain his position or even advance, securing a spot in the second of three tournaments.
The top 50 players will advance to the second tournament, while the top 30 will secure a spot in the final tournament.
The young golfer shared his emotions after the first day in a media interview, revealing that he wasnt too focused on numbers or rankings, and didnt have clearly defined expectations.
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Bhatia came to the course, wanting to enjoy the experience, and that mindset brought him positive results after the first day.
"I felt pretty relaxed, and I'm just not trying to force anything," he said. "It's OK to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself."
Akshay Bhatia's goals
The young golfer is already aware of how much mindset plays an important role in a golfer's career. In his words, one can feel as if he is following the example of Scottie Scheffler, not wanting to be too preoccupied with numbers; rather, he wants to be a golfer who will enter tournaments without any pressure.
The famous golfer wants his private and professional lives to have no points of contact, or rather, he does not want his performances on the golf courses to have an impact on his everyday life.
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"But I'm just really trying to have a little more peace on the golf course. I think this game can consume your life, your happiness, and so I'm just trying to figure out ways to change that because I feel like I don't really want to live my life based off of an unstable game. That's going to drive me nuts. This whole year it has, so I'm just trying to be just a little more at ease with whatever I shoot."- he said.
