“You feel proud”, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala hope their qualification can boost Indian golf – Firstpost

Indian-American golfers Akshay Bhatia, who is coming off a triumph at the PGA Texas Open, and Sahith Theegala, who won his maiden PGA title last September, are hoping their starts at the Masters can boost Indian golf. The Californians in their 20s, whose families both emigrated to the United States from India, are among 89 players expected to begin play Thursday at Augusta National.

“I don’t know if I really realize what Sahith and I can do for golf in India,” Bhatia said on Monday. “I know it’s really special when I have a group of fans that look up to me, a group of kids that come up to me.

“I think it’s great that we can develop the game not in the United States, but in India. It’s special for us, what we can do for golf there is, I think, awesome, and the development we can accomplish for the people there is really cool.

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Theegala was excited about Indian support at the Houston Open last month.

“You feel proud. It’s really cool,” he said. “In Houston, a group of young Indian kids came out and followed along and my parents were there and they were just cheering them on.

“Probably for the first time, a few Indian kids came up and said they were playing golf because of me. It’s pretty crazy to hear that. But it’s cool and I hope I can continue to be a source of inspiration.

Bhatia’s wire-to-wire title at the Texas Open last week earned him the final spot in the field at this week’s Masters, prompting last-minute changes in plans.

The 22-year-old American is the first player to reach the final of the junior Drive, Chip and Putt competition at Augusta National, which he did in the inaugural 2014 edition, and qualify for the Masters.

“Just an unreal moment for me,” Bhatia said. “Just being here is spectacular and I’m thrilled to be here as a participant.”

“That first time at Drive, Chip & Putt is pretty surreal as a kid. You just don’t realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity.

“For everyone to be so kind as to let kids hit golf balls on the range, make putts on the 18th green, it was unreal.”

Bhatia injured his left shoulder late in his win Sunday at San Antonio, displacing the shoulder with a vigorous punch after sinking a long putt to force the playoff.

Although it was quickly put back in place, the shoulder remains a cause for concern as he prepares for his Masters debut and only his second major start after a finish of 57 at the 2021 US Open.

“The shoulder will definitely be a work in progress,” Bhatia said. “It happened to me two, three times. I had a complete dislocation playing pickleball a few years ago and suffered a subluxation in Bermuda in 2021.

“So this is nothing new to me. It’s a weird experience because I had so much adrenaline so I didn’t feel any pain during those playoffs.

“But it’s definitely something we’re going to have to work on, and I have a lot of confidence in my team to be able to play on Thursday.”

Bhatia planned to do physical therapy work and rest after seven straight weeks of playing.

“It’s a lot of golf, but I also get a ton of adrenaline so it kind of balances out,” he said. “Hopefully my shoulder should be OK, but maybe I’m a little worried about making some shots. We just have to find out.