Rex Hoggard has named the player who contended for the Rocket Mortgage Classic title who actually reminds him of Phil Mickelson, with his ability to be an artist around the greens.
The PGA Tour would have been delighted to see a tense finish at Detroit Golf Club as they look to maintain fans’ interest following the last of the signature events at the Travelers Championship.
Ultimately, it was Cameron Davis who got across the line, winning his second Rocket Mortgage Classic title in the process. But a number of other names will feel that they had a genuine chance of securing victory in Michigan.
Aaron Rai started the final day tied for the lead, while Min Woo Lee only failed to stay at 18 under par due to a bogey on the final hole. And of course, many will be feeling real sympathy for Akshay Bhatia after his three putt on the last to hand Davis the title.
Akshay Bhatia compared with Phil Mickelson
Bhatia could have won the event with a birdie on 18, while a par would have taken the event to a play-off. Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he missed out on taking the tournament into overtime, but he won a lot of admirers along the way.
In fact, speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Hoggard suggested that there are similarities between Bhatia and the most successful left-handed golfer the game has ever had.
“I was taken, even before the 72nd hole and fill in your own punchline however you want to do this, I was taken watching him coming down the stretch of how much he plays the game like Phil Mickelson did in Phil Mickelson’s prime, because there is a grace, there is a poetry to his swing,” he said.
“I do like watching him play golf. However, if you look at his stats, he’s not the best driver of the golf ball, he was squarely middle of the pack going into Sunday last weekend. I think what drives me is the idea that he plays the game the way Phil did, it’s a lot of feel, a lot of imagination, when he gets on the greens, you can see the way the artist is coming out in him. And then, what happens on the 72nd hole, you’re going to have these extremes when it comes to him.”
Fantastic career ahead for the 22-year-old
Certainly, you would imagine that Bhatia would give a lot to have the kind of career Mickelson has had, with the LIV Golf star winning six majors and more than 50 events worldwide.
Despite the Detroit disappointment, Bhatia has already won on the PGA Tour at this stage of his career, and it would not be a surprise if the second victory was not too far away at all.
Bhatia’s game appears to have improved so significantly in the short time he has been out on tour, so there is definitely an opportunity for the youngster to become one of the game’s latest superstars.
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