Akshay Bhatia admits the target score he was trying to get to during the final round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

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Akshay Bhatia has revealed the score he wanted to get himself to ahead of the back nine on Sunday with the 22-year-old going on to miss out on the Rocket Mortgage Classic title in dramatic fashion.

Akshay Bhatia must be wondering how exactly he did not win his second PGA Tour title of the season in Detroit, with the youngster going into the final round tied for the lead with England’s Aaron Rai.

It was certainly a congested leaderboard, with a handful of shots separating the top 20 before Sunday in Michigan. And Bhatia got off to a scrappy start, bogeying the fourth hole to drop out of the lead – but he responded with two birdies before the turn.

Ultimately, Bhatia would reach the 18th tee tied for the lead with Cameron Davis, who had got into the clubhouse with a score of 18 under par. However, a three-putt on the final green meant that Davis did not even need a play-off to get the win.

Akshay Bhatia reveals his target score at Rocket Mortgage Classic

Of course, many will focus on Bhatia missing the short putt, but it seems that he will be disappointed with his entire performance across the back nine – with Bhatia suggesting in his press conference afterwards that he had wanted to put his foot on the accelerator.

“I don’t know, just tried to focus on myself; my goal today, starting the back nine, was to get to 21 under. I felt like if I could do that, I’d be in a good spot, but obviously pull a lot harder for everyone,” he said.

Big task now facing 22-year-old after Sunday’s disappointment

With two par fives in the final five holes at Detroit Golf Club, Bhatia would have hoped that there would be genuine chances to make the birdies which would get him across the line.

Unlike most in the field, he also had the experience of winning this season, so that had the potential to give him a real edge over the rest of the pack.

But when the moment came, Bhatia was unable to get the job done, and he will probably replay that missed putt thousands of times in his mind over the coming weeks.

His task now is to put this disappointment behind him and show again why the hopes are so high for his career.