Back at TPC River Highlands and back in contention, Akshay Bhatia has opened up about how winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill quietly changed something between him and caddie Joe Greiner.

That victory at Bay Hill elevated Bhatia’s profile, but it also raised the bar for what he and Greiner expect of themselves. Success, he explained, can be a double‑edged sword; it brings confidence, but also magnifies frustration when results don’t match the new standard.

"You think it would be easier, but I think — Joe and I talk about it so much — expectations get so high after you win," Bhatia told the reporters on Friday after the second round of the Travelers Championship.

"So that's hard to manage, you know, because you feel like you're on top of the world. You get more upset when you hit it to 20 feet versus 15 feet, certain putts don't go in when they did when you do win," he added.

The Bhatia-Greiner partnership was barely three months old when it produced that Bay Hill moment. They came together last December, when Bhatia parted ways with caddie John Limanti.

Since then, Greiner, who had spent six years on Max Homa's bag and helped Justin Thomas win the RBC Heritage 2025, acts as both a caddie and a performance coach for Bhatia.

Their partnership peaked at Bay Hill when Greiner turned to Bhatia and said, "Just try to hit the best 6-iron of your life" on the 16th tee.

Bhatia nearly holed it from 191 yards, and then, with an eagle on that hole, Bhatia won his third PGA Tour title after overcoming a five-shot disadvantage with only nine holes to play.

But things started to change after that event. The duo struggled to manage the spike in expectations.

"It's been definitely a different shift because normally I've had caddies who I've wanted to be right there with me and, like, watch me do my putting and tell me what to do," Bhatia said via a YouTube video uploaded by TenGolf.

"Joe kind of has so many friends out here. You know, he'll be chatting over here; I'll be doing my stuff."

Bhatia had several missed cuts after that, including the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the Memorial Tournament.

"The start of the year we're always on the same topic with club selection, certain things," Bhatia added.

"Then, yeah, after we won, it definitely changed a little bit. We weren't always on the same page. I'm an overthinker, and he's very to it."

Reset at Shinnecock Hills

The 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills last week was the kind of test that breaks several pros, and Bhatia walked away from it with a T17.

He tied alongside Ludvig Åberg, Justin Thomas, Ben Griffin, and Collin Morikawa in a field that watched Wyndham Clark win wire-to-wire.

It wasn't a headline finish, but more importantly, it was a moment of reset for Bhatia.

"I think after last week, you know, we kind of looked at each other and said, 'We're back, we're on the same page,'" Bhatia said on that same video.

"He's just a great guy to be around, and I'm very fortunate to have him in my corner."

And now, just in one week, Bhatia carded an 8-under 62 on Friday after opening with a 4-under par on Thursday at the Travelers Championship.

He carded four birdies on the front nine and four more on the back nine, without bogeying a single hole to finish third after the second round.

"I feel like I've putted really good the whole year," said Bhatia, who entered Connecticut ranked ninth on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting.

"I kind of showed up this week, did my same stuff, and my speed has been really good this week."

Since his Bay Hill win, Bhatia has posted three top‑20 finishes. It’s that rhythm and confidence on the greens that has kept Bhatia in contention week after week.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Koushik Biswas