Akshay Bhatia is no stranger to Pebble Beach’s drama, but this week, the 24-year-old American is writing a new story—one that’s all about redemption, resilience, and a red-hot putter. After three rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Bhatia holds a two-shot lead at 19-under-par, heading into a final round that’s already buzzing with anticipation and a bit of weather-induced uncertainty.
Bhatia’s Saturday round was a tale of two nines. He came out firing, carding birdies on six of his first seven holes and electrifying the crowd with a dazzling display of precision and confidence. “I just really, I don’t know, I’m the same person, but just found some stuff in my golf swing, which was really nice. Found some stuff in my putting, which was really nice,” Bhatia reflected on his recent form, according to Field Level Media. But as the wind picked up and Pebble Beach showed its teeth, Bhatia’s momentum slowed. He played the final seven holes in two over, ultimately signing for a 4-under 68 that kept him atop the leaderboard but trimmed his advantage.
It’s been a week of headlines for Bhatia, not all of them about birdies and bogeys. On Friday, an Instagram post questioned whether Bhatia was anchoring his long putter—an act prohibited by Rule 10.1b. The rule, updated in 2016, forbids players from anchoring the club directly or indirectly during a stroke. Bhatia didn’t hesitate to clear the air, responding, “Not anchoring. Literally 2 inches short of my chest haha.” The USGA’s regulations allow for the club or gripping hand to touch clothing, so long as it isn’t held against the body, and Bhatia was quick to assure fans and officials alike that he was well within the rules.
His putting, legal and lethal, has been a difference-maker all week. On Thursday at Pebble Beach, Bhatia rolled in 59 feet worth of putts, and he followed that up with 71 feet at Spyglass Hill on Friday. Those numbers are more than just statistics—they’re the backbone of his charge up the leaderboard and his answer to critics who wondered if he could keep pace with the game’s elite.
Speaking of elite, the chasers behind Bhatia are a who’s who of golf’s rising and established stars. Collin Morikawa, searching for his first victory in over three years since the 2023 ZOZO Championship, put together a blistering 10-under 62 on Saturday to vault into a tie for second at 17 under. “Look, I’m very hard on myself,” Morikawa admitted. “Like I think we all are, but I’m very, very hard. You ask anyone on my team, like I can get down on myself pretty quickly because I know there’s just really fine margins out here. But I’ve been really focused on just trying to, you know, build this momentum, this idea of momentum and just making it myself and it’s finally paid off today. We’ve got some work tomorrow, for sure.”
Morikawa isn’t alone in the hunt. Jake Knapp and Austria’s Sepp Straka also sit at 17 under after rounds of 66 and 67, respectively. Jacob Bridgeman, after a 68, is at 16 under, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who played bogey-free golf in the third round, lurks at 15 under. England’s Tommy Fleetwood and last week’s runner-up, Matsuyama, are among a cluster of players at 14 under, all within striking distance should the leaders stumble.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, however, finds himself well off the pace. After a promising start with two birdies in his first three holes Saturday, McIlroy’s round unraveled with a triple bogey at the fourth and a double bogey at the last, resulting in an even-par 72. He’s now tied for 39th at 9 under, a full ten shots behind Bhatia. “I mean, I don’t want to rule anything out for myself,” said Scottie Scheffler, who carded a bogey-free 67 but stands at 11 under and appears out of contention. “You never want to limit yourself. I’d obviously like to be in a better position on the leaderboard. But yeah, with crazy weather, crazy things can happen and we’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
The tournament, the first signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season, features a $20 million purse with $3.6 million awaiting the winner. But it’s not just money that’s on the line. For Bhatia, this week at Pebble Beach is personal. Eight years ago, as a 16-year-old phenom, he suffered one of golf’s cruelest breaks at the U.S. Amateur on these very fairways. After a birdie at the par-5 14th in match play, Bhatia was penalized because his caddie accepted a ride back to the green from a volunteer mistakenly thought to be a USGA official. The penalty cost Bhatia the hole and, ultimately, the match. The rule that snared him—now known as Model Local Rule G-6—was amended this year to allow committees more discretion, but the change came too late for Bhatia’s 2018 heartbreak.
Bhatia handled that disappointment with remarkable maturity, telling Golf Channel at the time, “What can you do? I’ll have plenty of opportunities to play in this tournament, so I’m not too upset about it. It’s just frustrating because I deserved to win that match. That wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but I can’t do anything about it.” Now, with a shot at redemption, Bhatia’s composure and focus are on full display.
He credits his turnaround this year to a newfound synergy with caddie Joe Greiner. “Joe and I are still really fresh, which is really hard for me to think about sometimes because we have such a good kind of bond, I guess. So we’re still getting to know each other, he’s still getting to know my game, but we’re starting to kind of mesh together where when we walk up to a shot, we’re kind of on the same page all the time.” That chemistry has paid dividends, especially as Bhatia rebounded from missed cuts in his first two events of 2026 to a tie for third at the WM Phoenix Open just last week.
The 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has already delivered record-low scoring averages through the first two rounds—68.7 at Pebble Beach Golf Links and 69.6 at Spyglass Hill, both the lowest in tournament history. Benign conditions and a softer course have contributed, but with heavy rain and strong winds forecast for Sunday, tournament officials have moved final-round tee times forward, running from 07:22 to 09:45 local time with threesomes off split tees. It’s anyone’s guess how the weather will impact the drama, but as Jordan Spieth noted, “Pebble’s going to show more of its teeth.”
As the final round looms, all eyes are on Bhatia—can he finish what he started and claim the redemption he’s sought since his teenage years? With a stacked field and a storm on the horizon, the stage is set for a wild Sunday at Pebble Beach. Whatever happens, Bhatia’s journey from heartbreak to hero-in-waiting has already made this a tournament to remember.