Akshay Bhatia Talks Dreams, Challenges, and Excitement Ahead of His Hero Dubai Desert Classic Debut
Q. You were playing in Hawai’i just nine days ago, that’s a 14-hour time change. How is the body clock?
It’s been fine. I think anytime you get to come where time is ahead, it’s easier to kind of adjust. You sleep early, you wake up early, so that’s always nice.
Q. You played in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Have you ever been to Dubai before?
No. First time. I’ve always wanted to be here, and thankfully it worked in the schedule this year. And this is kind of the one event that I really wanted to kind of check off my list and so far, it’s been amazing. So I hope to kind of come back more and more.
Q. Are you a player that wants to play globally? Will we see you more on the DP World Tour in the future?
I hope so. Still getting my foot out on the PGA TOUR. So I’m hoping once I kind of get to the level where I have time to come over here, and it’s a little easier to travel and it just makes sense.
I mean, absolutely. I want to travel globally. I want to meet a lot of different people and see different cultures and so it’s really enjoyable for me and especially being young, it’s really nice to have the opportunity.
Q. Have you made any changes to your equipment or your team coming into this new year?
Yeah, we’ve changed the driver. Obviously the new Callaway Elite driver is out. So finally be able to play that in tournaments. I did a good amount of testing over the off-season, which has been amazing.
Other than that, kind none of the woods have changed and everyone on the team is the same. Try and keep it simple.
Q. A couple wins on PGA TOUR and you’re Top 30 in the world. Is Ryder Cup on your agenda this year?
Not one of my main focuses. Obviously making the team is amazing and important and of course I want to be on that team, but it’s not the focus that I have for this year.
So I feel like good golf, and some of the other goals I have, will help me kind of get to that Ryder Cup.
Q. A slightly different subject. You’re born in L.A., and we’re all watching the wildfires going on in the moment. What are your thoughts? What are your thoughts and feelings for the people suffering in that disaster?
It’s really sad. L.A. is obviously home for me as I grew up there. I know so many people there. My family is still there. My mental coach lives right there. Just hearing all the stories, the evacuations, just the never-ending fires and the winds, just you never know what’s going to happen.
So you know, praying for everybody there. It’s truly sad, and you know, I just hope that they kind of can get through this and hopefully we’ll have a lot of support from players and many other athletes to kind of get some funds raised for L.A.
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