Akshay Bhatia Fights for Tour Championship Spot at BMW Championship
Bhatia's Determined Performance
Maryland [US], August 17: Akshay Bhatia is keeping his aspirations for the Tour Championship alive with a strong finish at the BMW Championship. The Indian-American golfer shot a 1-under 69 in the second round, improving his position from tied-46th to tied-37th at the halfway mark.
With scores of 75 and 69, Bhatia stands at 4-over for the 36 holes, just outside the crucial Top-30 that qualifies for the season finale, as reported by the BMW Championship.
The Hero golfer, who secured sixth place at the previous week's FedEx St. Jude Championship, faced a challenging round at Caves Valley. He recorded three bogeys and only one birdie on the front nine, finishing 1-over through 16 holes.
However, he made a remarkable comeback with birdies on the final two holes, sinking putts from six and twelve feet, which kept him in the running. Currently, he is projected to be 32nd in the FedEx Cup standings and needs to break into the Top-30 to qualify for the Tour Championship for the second consecutive year.
Leading the tournament is Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who has been in exceptional form. After an impressive opening round of 62 that featured six consecutive birdies, he followed it up with a bogey-free 64, totaling 14-under 126. This performance has given him a significant five-shot lead over World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (66-65) as they head into the weekend.
The 27-year-old MacIntyre, who previously won the RBC Canadian Open this season, achieved a personal best for a 36-hole score and matched the largest halfway lead at the BMW Championship since Jason Day's five-shot lead in 2015, when Day ultimately won by six strokes.
Scheffler, despite a strong afternoon, maintained his position with a 65, while Sweden's Ludvig Aberg surged with a 64, placing him six shots behind the leader. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, remarkably bogey-free over 36 holes despite feeling unwell, also posted a 64, putting him in solo fourth, seven shots back.
Michael Kim (66) and Tommy Fleetwood (69) are tied for fifth place, eight shots behind MacIntyre, while Rory McIlroy made a comeback from an early double bogey to finish with a 66, trailing by ten shots.