Akshay Bhatia wins Barracuda Championship in sudden death for first PGA Tour title of career

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Akshay Bhatia birdied the closing hole in regulation, then capitalized in sudden death when Patrick Rodgers found a divot in the fairway to win his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Bhatia, who turned pro at 17, earned full status on tour and a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He had been playing under special temporary membership since his runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open in March.

"It's obviously been a really tough road. I've had a lot of up, a lot of down. A lot of good, a lot of bad," Bhatia said. "But I knew I was going to get here. It was just matter of time. For it to happen this year with special temporary membership and now to get to play all these events and to get it done today was, I can’t even describe it."

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Akshay Bhatia holds the championship trophy after winning the Barracuda Championship golf tournament at the Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif., Sunday, July 23, 2023.  (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Bhatia converted a birdie from about 15 feet on the par-4 18th hole at Tahoe Mountain Club to finish with 40 points under the modified Stableford scoring system that awards five points for eagle and two for birdie while deducting a point for bogey and three for double bogey. The slender left-hander had nine points on Sunday. He made double bogey on the par-4 fifth hole, then made six birdies without a bogey from there.

That was good enough to match Rodgers, who missed a birdie attempt from roughly the same distance on the 18th. Rodgers scored six points in the final round, with one birdie and two bogeys on the back