If June has taught us anything about professional golf, it’s that no putt is a “gimme.” At the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy was the most painful example; at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday, Akshay Bhatia was the most recent.
Bhatia missed his second-to-last putt of the week, which would have put him and Cam Davis in a playoff, at a distance of four feet and three inches. However, he would much rather have the putt that came in before it, which was from 32 feet and 1 inch.
For the most of the back nine, the 22-year-old remained cautious on the greens, leaving several putts short out of caution rather than going all out for the victory. The plan was almost successful until his winning birdie attempt on the 72nd green, which left him needing a long par attempt to tie. To be honest, Detroit Golf Club’s poa annua, rough greens get progressively slower over the day. He didn’t use that as an excuse, even though he acknowledged that it was a factor.
Rather, Bhatia acknowledged something that likely made former NBC analyst Johnny Miller smile: he was a little anxious.
“You have a lot of slope there, so it’s difficult to run it five or six feet by,” Bhatia remarked. Yeah, to be honest, I was just a little nervous. I’m a person.
Johnny, you have nerves.
Jokes aside about Johnny Miller, it’s surprising to hear a player acknowledge this. Miller was the only one who would reveal it, to the point that it became a running joke. It is uncommon to hear a player acknowledge that his nerves got the better of him, though. In contrast, McIlroy did not address nervousness in his post-U.S. Open speech.
Bhatia remarked, “There’s no other way to phrase it except crap.” “It’s simply, really bad.”
Naturally, having nerves might be advantageous. It indicates that you are sensitive and concerned. Bhatia has experienced jitters before—two times, to be exact—and emerged victorious in postseason action. He is capable of managing them. He’ll be all right.
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