Pro contending at Colonial with new mental approach that he’s keeping secret

In response to a disappointing stretch of play, Akshay Bhatia has taken a new mental approach at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge. But you’d have to be a psychic to know what it is.

Bhatia has declined to go into detail.

“I would rather not say until Sunday,” Bhatia said. 

Instead, he has mostly let his clubs do the talking, stringing together rounds of 67, 66 and 69 at wind-dried Colonial Country Club to put himself in a tie for fourth, five strokes behind co-leaders Ben Griffin and Matti Schmid heading into Sunday’s finale.

Not that he has made it look especially easy.

In Saturday’s blustery conditions, Bhatia countered four bogies with five birdies while battling a two-way miss off the tee that has plagued his game of late.

“The biggest thing right now is my driver,” Bhatia said. “I’ve been just really, really struggling. I have one or two really bad golf swings that, I mean, cost me a lot of shots.”

Those struggles took root a few months back after a solid start to the 2025 season, highlighted by a tie for third at The Players Championship. In his next event after TPC Sawgrass, though, Bhatia missed the cut as defending champ at the Texas Valero Open. Next came equipment woes at the Masters, where he cracked the face of his driver. He has yet to find a cooperative replacement. 

Those hiccups, combined with changes in the rhythm of his meetings with his longtime instructor, George Gankas, have taken a toll.

“My golf swing is not where I wanted it to be, and it’s been an adjustment for me coach and I,” Bhatia said. I used to live right down the street from him ( California), and now we’re in different states. I used to see him so frequently.”

Lately, he added, he and Gankas only get to work on the nitty-gritty during the week of majors and signature events, “which is very tough.”

Since Augusta, Bhatia’s best finish has been a T42 at the RBC Heritage. He’d been planning to take a break this week, but after missing the cut at last week’s PGA Championship, he signed up for the Charles Schwab and booked a flight to Fort Worth. With the change of schedule came a change of mindset, but good luck figuring out exactly what it is. 

The only hint Bhatia gave was that confidence is key.

“I really typically don’t ever lose confidence in myself,” he said. “I think the way I’ve approached each tournament this year has been quite different that some of the stretches I had last year of feeling I guess extra confident. I’m trying to not sound, like cocky here, or whatever.”

Could it simply be a case of missing swagger?

“A little more determination, I guess, is more the mental change,” Bhatia said.

Maybe after Sunday, he’ll say more.