Paul McGinley says ‘swashbuckling’ PGA player reminds him of Robert MacIntyre after seeing him live at The Memorial

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The second round of The Memorial golf tournament is in the bag and Paul McGinley has admitted to being super-impressed by one young player on display.

Round number two is in the books at Muirfield and there are some big names well in contention.

Scottie Scheffler has continued his business as usual approach and sits top of the pile on nine under par, some three shots clear of Viktor Hovland.

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However, the likes of Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, and Ludvig Aberg are all within striking distance and it’s set up to be a fine weekend of PGA golf action.

Of course, a number of other players are within four or five shots of Scheffler as well.

And one of those players, Akshay Bhatia, has caught the eye of Sky Sports commentator Paul McGinley.

Akshay Bhatia reminds Paul McGinley of Robert MacIntyre

Speaking on Sky Sports comms after Bhatia had played a wonderful shot from off the green to within a foot of the hole, McGinley lauded the 22-year-old and admitted he reminds him a bit of last week’s winner at Hamilton, Robert MacIntyre.

‘I like watching him play. He reminds me a little bit of Bob MacIntyre,” McGinley said.

“Not because he’s a left hander but cos of how he he plays. He’s a little bit cavalier and swashbuckling and has a good go at things.

“I really like watching him.”

Bhatia and MacIntyre two of golf’s future stars

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Golf is always on the lookout for the next big thing and while there’s a five year gap between Bhatia and MacIntyre, both have massive futures in the game.

So far, they’ve both won on the PGA Tour and while MacIntyre flew home this week to miss The Memorial, Bhatia remains very much in contention and is impressing.

At just 22, Bhatia really does seem to have a huge career in front of him.

Going into the third round this weekend, he’s within striking distance of the very best and a win at something like The Memorial would feel massive for him.

As McGinley says here, he has a great attitude to his game and he’s reaped the rewards of showing that confidence and edge the former Ryder Cup skipper mentions.