Bhatia Looking to Build on Last Week

“As a 19-year-old kid playing in that final group, it was huge for me to learn and to be in that position,” Bhatia said of his 2023 appearance. “I love this place; I love obviously any tropical place that we get to go to. I try and make it a staple in my schedule. Just thankful to kind of be back here and super excited for the week.”

Bhatia comes to Mexico with a lot more experience than his first appearance. He believes his game will work well on a golf course that favors longer hitters, even though he is not one. Instead, the California native believes his iron and approach play will compensate for any length deficiency.

“Obviously, we'll see how the wind is; it's not going to be too crazy this week,” Bhatia said of the forecast conditions. “I've always enjoyed playing in the wind and kind of just trying to see the shots and pick the right shots. All in all, the golf course is in great shape, just as good as I remember it. Very excited.”

Starting professional golf at 19 requires a lot of learning to occur on the job.

For Bhatia, learning has been a constant, and the experience has been worthwhile, with an understanding that the learning doesn’t stop even with success.

“I feel like every year I try and set new goals, my mental coach and I started doing this last year (and) this is the first time, you know, I accomplished almost every goal last year,” Bhatia said. “And still trying to just play a little more consistent golf, I think that's what the best players in the world do every week. Whether they have their A-game or not, they're still always around the position to try and win the golf tournament. Just try and be there more and more often is the plan.”