Akshay Bhatia felt some pressure while playing alongside Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker. But one comment from his caddie helped him settle down and play with more confidence.

After rounds of 67 and 65, he finished the day tied for sixth place, just two shots behind the leader. Bhatia joined Brandt Snedeker for the first two rounds of the event.

His caddie, Joe Greiner, pulled him aside early in the first round when it became clear the occasion was getting inside Bhatia's head.

"Joe mentioned maybe he thought I was thinking about it," Bhatia said. "But he said, 'Brandt's not looking at how you're playing golf right now, it's more how you're handling certain things.' So I took that with me."

The reason that advice landed so hard is what Bhatia admitted next. He has faced a similar situation before by playing alongside Presidents Cup captain Keegan Bradley. Both times, he felt nervous while playing with a team captain.

"Even subconsciously, maybe I am thinking about it," Bhatia said. "I did it with Keegan, and I was pretty nervous. You just keep learning about how you feel and what it means to you."

That moment helped Bhatia shoot a second-round 65 at the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 29.

Bhatia is currently 12th in the Presidents Cup standings. Only the top six players automatically qualify for the U.S. team. With the tournament coming later this year, every round he plays with Snedeker is important.

Two years ago, Bhatia said he thought too much about making the Presidents Cup team. That affected his game, and he missed out on a spot. This week, he said he does not want to make the same mistake again.

Bhatia has played well at Colonial so far. However, he said his driving still needs improvement, and he continues to work on it as the tournament moves into the weekend.

Akshay Bhatia is still working on his driver ahead of the weekend

Bhatia is ranked 64th in strokes gained off the tee at Colonial this week. He acknowledged the gap between his range work and his on-course driving performance.

"I probably hit 300 drivers just trying to get it dialed this last week," Bhatia said. "I think I can go home and hit it on the range and hit it very solid. Then once I get on the golf course I'm just struggling with, I don't know what it is."

He doesn't feel fear. Something else is at work.

"I don't feel like I'm scared of anything. But subconsciously something is going on," he said. "I just got to keep doing my thing, and it will happen. It's just going to take a lot of work."

Bhatia sits two shots back heading into the weekend at a course he described as one that rewards creativity and discipline over length.

Do you think Akshay Bhatia can win the Charles Schwab Challenge this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason