The 23-year-old American Akshay Bhatia delivered a standout performance at the 2025 Players Championship. Bhatia finished tied for third place, just two strokes behind the winner, Rory McIlroy, and even flirted with the lead deep into the tournament. Despite withdrawing from the Valspar Championship on Tuesday, there is so much to look forward to seeing.

Bhatia began the tournament with impressive form. After the first 9 holes, Bhatia was 4-under par. At the end of day 1 he completed a bogey-free round finished 5-under. Bhatia followed his round one performance with an even better day two shooting a 6-under 66. Going into the weekend Bhatia shared the 36-hole lead with Australia’s Min Woo Lee at 11-under par.