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Akshay Bhatia Strips Down To Hit a Shot From the Pond Not Once, But Twice at Honda Classic

The 21-year-old took off his shoes, shirt and hat to escape some messy predicaments at PGA National.

Gabrielle Herzig

Former junior golf sensation Akshay Bhatia is making quite the splash at the Honda Classic—literally. 

The 21-year-old hit 17 out of 18 greens in regulation on Friday and finished with a 5-under 65, but Saturday’s round hasn’t been that steady. Bhatia’s ball found the edge of the plentiful water hazards at PGA National on both the 6th and 15th holes during Round 3. 

PGA Tour players often choose to take off their golf shoes and get their feet wet to play such shots. A light mud splatter to the face is typically worth it when the only other option entails taking a penalty shot.

But Bhatia took things to a whole new level on Saturday, choosing the messier alternative not once, but twice. The young star removed his shoes, shirt, and hat to play both shots and the scene resulted in some unbelievable photos. 

Bhatia’s first encounter with the muddy ponds at PGA National was highly successful. He chipped out of the edge of the water and got up-and-down for par on the 469-yard 6th hole. Bhatia’s girlfriend and part-time caddie even had a change of clothes ready following his entertaining escape route. 

Later during PGA National’s infamous Bear Trap stretch, Bhatia launched a long iron over the green on the 17th, and when he again stripped down to chip out from the swamp, things didn’t go quite as planned. 

Bhatia nearly sank knee-deep into the mud at one point as he struggled to make double-bogey on the tough par-3. 

“That stuff smells too,” the NBC Sports broadcast crew noted. 

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It’s safe to say Bhatia has had a rough day at PGA National, but at least he can say he was fully commitmed to the mission at hand. 

Let’s just hope Bhatia has another clean outfit for Sunday’s round—or access to a laundry room. 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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