When Akshay Bhatia arrived at Caves Valley Golf Club on Saturday for the BMW Championship’s third round, he sat at 4-over par. He was fighting to hold onto a spot in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings after a tough first two days for the sweet-swinging lefty, who opened with a 75.
His fortunes changed Saturday, and he’ll leave the course with a new ride.
Bhatia holed his second shot for eagle on the par-4 seventh hole, using a wedge from 93 yards away to jumpstart his round. He energized the crowd again on the 17th hole, a 227-yard par 3.
Bhatia landed his tee shot with a five iron about 10 feet short of the pin and rolled it into the right side of the cup for a hole-in-one. He jumped up in celebration, taking his hat off in bewilderment as his caddie gave him a hug.
First ace of his career as he battles on the bubble!
Akshay Bhatia is now projected into the Top 30 in the FedExCup after a hole-in-one! pic.twitter.com/YbvU9rERlF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2025
The ace, his first on the PGA Tour, gives the 23-year-old Bhatia a boost as he battles for a spot in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings — the top 30 make next week’s Tour Championship. It also gives him a new car.
By making a hole-in-one on No. 17, the first ace of his PGA Tour career, he wins a new BMW, the all-electric iX M70 SUV that was perched next to him on the tee box. The ace will also provide a full four-year Evans Scholarship in his name to a young caddie, presented by BMW of North America.
Bhatia’s two spectacular iron shots helped him shoot a 4-under par round of 66. He’s even for the tournament and is firmly in the mix to finish in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings entering Sunday’s final round. The top 30 finishers will advance to the Tour Championship next week at East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta and compete for a $40 million purse.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.
