Batia, the Man Who Takes Off His Shirt Twice a Day

PGA Tour Honda Classic 3R Spectacle Unfolds

Akshay Bhatia (USA) created a rare spectacle by taking off his shirt twice in one day while making shots.

On the 26th (Korean time), Bhatia made unforgettable memories during the third round of the PGA Tour Honda Classic (total prize money $8.4 million) held at the PGA National Champion Course (par 70, 7,125 yards) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.

Akshay Bhatia is looking at his shot after taking it shirtless on the 6th hole of the 3rd round at the Honda Classic. [Palm Beach Gardens, USA=Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

Bhatia first took off his shirt at the 6th hole (par 4). His tee shot landed in the water on the left side of the fairway, and he attempted his second shot shirtless while hitting from there. On this hole, he hit his third shot from the fairway about 89 yards away, landing the ball 3 meters from the hole to save par. Thanks to his girlfriend bringing him a new hat, shirt, and shoes, he changed clothes and proceeded to the next hole.

But that was not the end. At the 15th hole (par 3), his tee shot went a bit long and overshot the green, landing in a mud pit. Bhatia took off his hat, shirt, shoes, and socks again, and rolled up his pants above the knees before stepping into the mud. Because his first shot while shirtless failed to clear the hill, he ended up making two shots in a 'shirtless' state on this hole. His score was a double bogey.

Bhatia said, "I've taken off my clothes to hit shots before, but never twice in one day. After finishing the 6th hole, my shirt was fine, so I only changed my pants. But then I had to go into the mud at the 15th hole again." He added with a smile, "I don't know how I looked on TV, but I'm glad if the fans enjoyed watching."

On that day, Bhatia made three birdies, three bogeys, and two double bogeys, losing four strokes. He starts the final fourth round tied for 58th place (even par 210). Bhatia turned professional in 2019 and experienced one win on the PGA Korn Ferry Tour (second tier) last January. His current world ranking is 366th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.