Akshay Bhatia WITB at the Valero Texas Open shows a bag full of Callaway clubs and, yes, another win for the Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter. This time it is a “broomstick” style putter that helped him keep the lead from start to “almost” finish.
Taking the 54 hole lead into the final day, Akshay had to endure a 63 from Denny McCarthy that forced a playoff. While Akshay did not have a standout stat for strokes gained in any category, he was most solid in Approach to the Green and Longest Drive. Akshay has won both of his PGA Tour victories in playoffs. No pressure…right? His victory at the Valero Texas Open gets him an invitation to play in the 2024 Masters Tournament! And, he is the only PGA Tour player to have competed in the Drive, Pitch and Putt and then play at the Masters Tournament.
Winning WITB for Akshay Bhatia, Valero Texas Open
With the help of PGA Tour, Golf Digest, and Golf WRX, we examine Akshays’s winning equipment.
- Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Max LS 9 degree with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X. He averaged 317 yards while hitting 50% of fairways.. The Rogue ST Max LS driver may be a couple years old but it is still one of the best drivers Callaway has produced!
- Fairways. Akshay plays a Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max 3 wood 15 degrees (@13.9) with a Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft.
- Irons: Akshay played the Callaway X Forged UT 4 iron and Apex TCB Raw in 5-PW. The shaft he played is the KBS $Taper 125 S+. This is a great feeling, mid-launch shaft from KBS. Akshay was first in strokes gained on Approach shots!
- Wedges: Wedges are Callaway Jaws Raw 50-10S (@49), 54-10S and 60.08C (@61). All wedges had the KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X shafts. Akshay like to play his wedges a little stiffer than his irons, and a little heavier. Each player has their own preference.
- Putter: Callaway Odyssey Jailbird with “broomstick” shaft. Pretty solid but Akshay still ranks 47th in strokes gained putting. Odyssey is still the number one putter on tour and has been for 3 years!
Custom Fit Full Bag
One of the great benefits of a custom fitting at D’Lance Golf is that we’re brand agnostic and we’re club head agnostic. We’ve fit thousands of sets helping players find the optimal mix for precision, distance and accuracy. And, most importantly, a consistent feel as you hit every club in your bag. For Akshay, the Callaway Rogue ST Max LS driver, Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max fairway wood, Callaway X Forged and TCB Raw irons, Callaway Jaws Raw wedges were the perfect set. Don’t guess, get custom fit for your next set of clubs.