WATCH: Akshay Bhatia Makes Maiden PGA Tour Hole-In-One At BMW Championship

The American gave his FedEx Cup Playoffs hopes a huge boost with his ace at the 17th at Caves Valley Golf Club

Images of Askhay Bhatia at the BMW Championship
Akshay Bhatia made a hole-in-one during the third round
(Image credit: X @PGATour)

Akshay Bhatia produced a moment of magic late in his third round of the BMW Championship with the first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career.

The left-hander achieved the feat at the 227-yard par-3 17th when his tee shot with a 5-iron bounced just in front of the pin before slowly but surely rolling into the hole, sending the Caves Valley crowd wild.

The ace was part of a hugely impressive four-under 66 that reignited Bhatia's bid to finish the tournament in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings and book his place in the last of the Playoffs, next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake.

After beginning the week just above the threshold in 29th, Bhatia's chances took a knock following a five-over 75 in the opening round before a much-improved one-under 69 on Friday.

Akshay Bhatia and his caddie

Akshay Bhatia has improved after a difficult start to the BMW Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

However, it was on Saturday that he really came to life. As well as the hole-in-one at the 17th, he also made a hole-out eagle on the seventh before heading back to the clubhouse inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings.

While the ace was the icing on the cake for Bhatia, it brought some more benefits in the form of a new car, a BMW iX. Meanwhile, it will give a young caddie a full four-year Evans Scholarship courtesy of BMW of North America.

Afterwards, Bhatia described the feeling of making his first PGA Tour hole-in-one, saying: “When that golf ball goes in, it was the craziest thing in the world.

“My caddie was pointing at the car and I'm like, don't even know what to do. I couldn't even feel my body. Still even going to 18 tee was pretty nuts how much adrenaline I had.”

While it was Bhatia’s first ace on the Tour, he revealed it was the sixth of his career – and it had been coming, adding: “This is six now. I've been close for a long, long time on Tour. Quail Hollow I hit the flag on 17.

“Mexico this year I hit it to like an inch. It's always been so, so close. Again, to have two hole-outs today was pretty insane.”

As for the new car, he revealed he doesn’t intend to keep it for himself. He explained: “I don't really necessarily need a new car: I'm pretty happy with what I've got. I think either I'll give it to my caddie or figure something out to where I can donate it to charity or something.”

Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 


He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 


Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 


Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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