Akshay Bhatia’s reaction after narrowly missing out at the Rocket Mortgage Classic has sparked debate among the golfing world.
Unsurprisingly, Dan Rapaport, the star of Netflix’s ‘Full Swing’ series, has caused a stir on social media.
The Barstool Sports journalist decided to laud Bhatia’s post-round interview, suggesting the 22-year-old’s comments were “everything we want from an athlete after a tough loss”.
The comments come after Rory McIlroy was criticised for departing Pinehurst No.2 immediately after Bryson DeChambeau holed his par putt to claim his second US Open title.
People have short memories after Rory McIlroy criticism
Rapaport is perhaps trying to make a point after his tweet highlighted Bhatia’s demeanour in defeat, which was entirely different to what the golfing world witnessed from McIlroy.
However, short memories could be at play here.
After the Northern Irishman collapsed during the final round of the 2011 Masters, he came out and immediately faced the press despite melting on the biggest stage of all at the tender age of 21.
“I mean, I thought I hung in pretty well on the front nine today,” McIlroy said. “I was leading the tournament going into the back nine. Just hit a poor tee shot on ten, and it unravelled from there. I sort of lost it on ten, eleven and twelve and couldn’t get it back.
“It’s one of those things. I am very disappointed at the minute, and I am sure I will be for the next few days, but I’ll get over it. I’ve got to look at the positives, and the positives are that I led this golf tournament for 63 holes.
“I’ll have plenty more chances, I know that.”
What happened at the US Open has been blown out of proportion
Whether Rapaport meant it or not, Bhatia’s disappointment at the Rocket Mortgage cannot be compared to what happened to McIlroy at Pinehurst.
The Northern Irishman was within touching distance of his first major title in ten years – and he cannot be blamed for departing in the manner he did.
Clearly, he was hurt by what occurred in North Carolina and facing the media immediately after would’ve been a bad idea.
As shown by the footage of him after his 2011 Masters collapse, McIlroy is more than capable of facing the heat when required. But it’s important to remember that elite-level athletes are still humans who cannot be expected to act perfectly in every single scenario.
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