Augusta, Ga.– Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai, two of three Indian-origin golfers competing at the 89th Masters, made a strong start to the tournament on Thursday, each carding a 2-under 70 to tie for seventh place after the opening round.
They trailed leader Justin Rose, who fired a stellar 7-under 65, his best opening round at Augusta National, to take the solo lead.
Bhatia and Rai, along with Sahith Theegala, who all recently signed Hero as a sponsor, positioned themselves well to make the cut. Theegala carded an even-par 72 to sit tied for 27th. The top 50 and ties after the second round will advance.
Rose, a two-time Masters runner-up and 2013 U.S. Open champion, was nearly flawless in his 20th Masters appearance. He remained bogey-free until the 18th hole, where he dropped a shot to finish at 7-under. His round featured just 22 putts — a testament to his putting precision.
Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a 68 to tie for second with Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners, both also at 4-under.
Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open winner, had a wild round with seven birdies and four bogeys, finishing at 3-under and tied for fifth with Tyrrell Hatton.
Rory McIlroy, who was 4-under through 14 holes, stumbled with double bogeys on the 15th and 18th to end with an even-par 72.
Bhatia and Rai shared T-7 at 2-under along with former World No. 1 Jason Day and Harris English.
Rai, a British golfer of Indian descent, briefly led the field at 4-under through 10 holes before running into trouble at the Amen Corner, where he carded three straight bogeys on holes 11 through 13. Another bogey on 16 dropped him to 1-under, but he recovered with birdies on 15 and 17 to finish at 2-under.
Bhatia’s round was a rollercoaster. After starting strong, he dropped to 2-over following four bogeys between the fifth and 12th holes. However, he rebounded with five birdies and one bogey in the final six holes to post a 2-under 70.
Theegala, meanwhile, overcame early struggles, including bogeys on the second and third holes. He traded birdies and bogeys through the front nine to make the turn at 1-over. On the back nine, he birdied the 13th and 15th but double-bogeyed the par-3 16th before closing with a birdie on 17 to finish even-par.
Reflecting on his round, Bhatia said, “Got off to a great start but didn’t drive it as well as I have been, especially compared to how I played at THE PLAYERS. The course is tough, and the winds can be tricky, but it was fun.”
He was especially excited to play alongside Rory McIlroy: “It’s really cool. I grew up watching him. To be grouped with him was awesome. I stayed in my own lane and focused — it definitely felt more important.”
On his back-nine surge, Bhatia added, “I made a great par on 11, three-putted 12, then knew if I could just get it back to even par, that’d be good. I hit great shots on 13, 14, and 15, and on 16, I wasn’t even watching — next thing I know, it’s a foot from the hole. Birdies on 17 and 18 were bonuses.”
Theegala, pleased with his finish, said, “I’ve been struggling with my irons, but today I hit a lot of good ones. Took me a while to find the right speed on the greens, but I got dialed in on the back nine.”
He was also satisfied with his birdies on three of the par-5s, noting his discipline on 13: “Perfect number, perfect lie out of the pine straw, but I didn’t want to risk going in the water. That putt dropping was a bonus, and I felt like I played 15 perfectly. These are some of the best par-5s in the world.”
Despite his mid-round drop, Rai remained upbeat: “It was a really good start overall. I’ve never played this course under tournament conditions, so it’s hard to know how it would unfold. I tried not to get ahead of myself and stay present, but the course caught me a bit in the middle stretch. Still, a great start.” (Source: IANS)
