| Career PGA TOUR Earnings<\/td> | Approximately $21.2 million<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n According to the PGA TOUR, Bhatia is a three-time winner who started his career in 2019. His latest victory was at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/span>Early Life and Family Background<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAkshay Bhatia was born on January 31, 2002, in Northridge, California. His parents, Sonny and Renu Bhatia, are of Indian origin and contributed significantly to Bhatia’s growth as a junior golfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, his family moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina. The boy continued his development of the skills. As a child, he played golf extensively and showed great potential while taking part in junior tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bhatia’s elder sister, Rhea, also was a golfer and introduced her brother to this sport. Playing golf regularly and being surrounded by this game made Bhatia train more and compete with other gifted juniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family’s encouragement in this period helped him advance from junior competitions to national and international tournaments. It was easy for him to concentrate on perfecting his technique, gaining competitive experience, and getting ready for professional play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/span>Akshay Bhatia’s Amateur Golf Career<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBefore turning pro, Bhatia was considered one of the best junior golfers in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akshay Bhatia won lots of junior tournaments. Some of them were Junior PGA Championship of 2017 and 2018. Particularly, Bhatia set a scoring record of 22 under par in his 2017 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides, Bhatia took part in Jones Cup 2018 and became the AJGA Rolex Player of the Year. All these achievements led him to a high rank in World Amateur Golf Ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018, he participated in Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and won two silver medals. He took part in Walker Cup 2019, becoming the youngest American player in this event’s history and the first high school golfer who competed for the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these facts proved that Bhatia was prepared for playing in the company of elite athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/span>Why Did Akshay Bhatia Skip College Golf?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn contrast to many professional American golfers, Akshay Bhatia did not study in college before he became a professional athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bhatia had enough junior victories and felt that playing professional golf immediately will give him the best chances of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bhatia went professional in 2019 when he was only 17 years old. This decision meant that he missed traditional path of playing college golf and had to start professional career very early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, early stages of his professional career demanded some adaptation. He had to play against much older players who had a lot of experience and learn how to deal with difficulties of professional play such as travel and financial situation of the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This decision paid off in the end, as Bhatia started winning tournaments on developmental circuits and gained opportunities on PGA TOUR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n |