Akshay Bhatia makes good start, lies 11th at Charles Schwab

Fort Worth (US), May 23 (PTI) Indian-American golfer Akshay Bhatia overcame back-to-back bogeys on his second nine but still carded 3-under 70 and was placed tied 11th in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial here.

Bhatia, currently ranked 30th in the world, was as high as 21st previously.

Aaron Rai, the Indo-British player on the PGA Tour, shot even par 70 with one birdie and one bogey to be tied 57th.

Two-time PGA Tour winner Bhatia finished fourth behind Scheffler at Hero World Challenge and third behind Rory McIlroy at the Players this season and he had five birdies, four of them in his first 10 holes after starting from the 10th.

Bhatia bogeyed the fourth and fifth and had another birdie on the closing hole, the ninth and is four shots behind the leader, rookie John Pak (63).

World No. 1 Scheffler shot 68 and was tied 20th.

Scheffler, recent winner of the PGA Championship, his third major, began eagle-birdie by holing a putt for eagle from off the green on the par-5 first hole and a 23-footer for birdie on No. 2. But he had just one more birdie against two bogeys for a 2-under 68 and was tied 20th.

Pak shot 63 for a three-shot lead over nine players, J.J. Spaun the highest-ranked among them at 27th.

Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman were among a group of nine players four back of Pak, and Scheffler headlined the 15 players who were five strokes behind.

Defending champion Davis Riley, who is playing the first two rounds with Scheffler, had two double bogeys on the front nine and shot 3-over 73.

Jordan Spieth shot 69 with birdies on two of his final four holes. PTI Cor AH AH