2024 Charles Schwab Challenge: Top 10 power rankings at Colonial

Akshay Bhatia’s already got a win in Texas this season.

He earned his first PGA Tour victory last month at the Valero Texas Open. It was a culmination of some solid results in his sophomore season in the big leagues.

While he did not record a top-10 prior in 2024, he had five top-20s to indicate big things were coming.

Bhatia is making his second appearance at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

He got off to a good start last year at Colonial with rounds of 69-68-70 to sit inside the top 20 before a Sunday 77 plummeted him to 56th.

Bhatia was 16th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (1.689) but couldn’t get the putter going.

He’s still a relative newcomer to majors and missed the cut last week at a big, soft ballpark in Valhalla that didn’t play into his hands. His thin frame is not designed to hack it out of thick, juicy rough. Bhatia’s MC and 42nd the previous week at the Wells Fargo Championship do not deter me from liking him this week where he’s a much better course fit.

Bhatia ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total (1.123). He’s also eighth in SG: Approach (.673), 21st in SG: Off-the-Tee (.787), and 35th in putting (.336). Bhatia is gaining in all categories. His switch at the beginning of the year to a broomstick putter is paying dividends.

The 22-year-old ranks 25th in average approach proximity from 125-150 yards (21’10”), a common distance he’ll encounter this week in Texas.