
Young Indian-Americans Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala shared third place on tournament debut in the $5 million Hero World Challenge alongside world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler after the opening round at Albany in the Bahamas on Thursday.
The three, plus fellow-American Patrick Cantlay and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg carded 5 under par 67s, three shots behind early leader Cameron Young (8 under 64) and one shy of second-placed Justin Thomas (66) at the Tiger Woods-hosted limited field tournament.
In was a sensational return to action for Young as he fired a bogey-free 64 that included five birdies on the front nine and the remaining three on the way back to the clubhouse while Thomas was even sharper on the back nine with six gains including four birdies in a row from the 14th hole.
For 2023 winner Scheffler, it was a return to one of his favourite venues where he has finished 2-2-1 in the last three years and never gone over par in 13 competitive rounds, 11 of which have been in the sixties.
“I drove it great. I’m sure I missed a fairway or two, but for the most part I was really well in position,” Young said on the event website after his round. “Then I made a couple putts early, which was nice. Just kind of got off to a nice start with the putter. There’s a bunch of par-5s and a couple drivable holes, so I feel that if you’re on top of it, especially off the tee, you can make a bunch of birdies.”
Besides the five birdies on the front nine and another three on the back nine, Young made a few par saves along the way helped him bring in a clean card for the day, and the second best opening day total at the event behind Michael Campbell’s 63 in 2005.
“The one on 12 is really as close as I came to having a bogey,” Young added. “On 13 I had a really tricky chip, kind of had to play it over the sprinkler heads from right of the green. Then, I pitched it close on the next hole. That’s really as close as I came to making a bogey.”
Bhatia, a past winner in the Bahamas on the Korn Ferry Tour was more than happy with his first tournament round at Albany. “I played the par 5s pretty well today. I haven't played too much competitive golf so I was a little more nervous and so all in all, it was pretty good.
“I have this new prototype driver in the bag which is a big thing for me. I felt like my driving stats last year kind of went downhill a little bit. I was fighting a two-way miss, making good swings. Some weeks it was good and some weeks it just wasn't there.
“I feel like most of the volunteers know me and they call me by my last name, so that’s pretty cool. I think, too, having Hero MotoCorp sponsor this event, being an Indian company, is pretty cool. I see people that are more my culture and kind of respect what I’m doing. It’s pretty quiet out here, but you still get a little bit of the warm feeling here.”
Added Theegala who turned 27 this week, “Playing this event has always been a big thing for me.”
Another player happy with his first round in six weeks after a runner-up finish in the Zozo Championships in Japan was Thomas. “Definitely pleased with how especially how the start was. I mean, just wasn't taking advantage of any of the par 5s or scoring holes and I wasn't making anything at all. Hit some good putts, hit some really, really bad putts, but just felt like I was maybe just trying a little too hard to get it going.”
ENDS