With The Memorial underway and delivering exciting golf as usual, there’s plenty of opportunity for the players out there to get to know Jack Nicklaus and that’s exactly what Akshay Bhatia has done.
With Muirfield Village very much known as ‘Jack’s Place’, the players at the tournament often get the privilege of spending some time with the 18-time major winner.
Of course, the tournament host himself has been vocal on a number of issues as Nicklaus commented on Bryson DeChambeau, while Nicklaus has also been vocal about the state of amateur golfers in terms of their putting.
Nicklaus is very much just passing opinion on matters and that comes with the experience of being such a successful golfer.
Indeed, young American star Akshay Bhatia has been one of those players to spend time with Nicklaus this week, and he’s been giving his thoughts on the ‘Golden Bear’.
Akshay Bhatia shares verdict on Jack Nicklaus
Bhatia is very much one of the rising stars of the PGA Tour and there’s every chance he makes the US Ryder Cup team this year if he can find some consistency.
One man who knows about being consistent is Mr Nicklaus, and when asked about how Nicklaus’ record in the game and his achievements, Bhatia admitted it was quite ridiculous.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s an absolute joke what Mr. Nicklaus has done, and I think — when I talk to him, he just makes it seem so nonchalant. I was talking to him about his miss with the driver and he curved it a lot back in the day with the type of golf ball they had, and he’s like, Yeah, you know, you just got to just try and hit fairways. And I was like, man, I wish it was that easy now,” Bhatia explained.
“But I mean, the guy is a walking legend and it’s just really cool to be in his presence here this week, and even when I’m home at the Bear’s Club, he’s always playing cards like a normal human being, so it’s really cool.”
Akshay Bhatia is a potential major winner
At just 23, Akshay Bhatia is very much one of the top rising stars of the game.
He’s already won twice on TOUR, while he’s already got a top 20 finish in the majors after finishing T16 at the 2024 US Open.
With so much ahead of him and the chance to take on board the information from someone like Jack Nicklaus, there’s a real opportunity for him to make a splash in the game.
The crucial element for Bhatia will be getting over the line in one of those majors and from there, his confidence will likely spiral.
In simple terms, it would be a huge surprise not to see Akshay Bhatia in the major winner’s circle over the next decade or so.
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