Augusta (US), Apr 8 Akshay Bhatia, of Indian origin, who has had a win and four other Top-16 finishes in his last six starts worldwide, could well be one of the outsiders at the 90th Masters, which begins at the famed Augusta National Golf Club here.
The Indian-American, however, missed the weekend at the Hero Indian Open, when he made his maiden visit to the land of his parents and forefathers last month.
Yet, the 24-year-old winner of three PGA Tour titles, including the Signature event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, has been in good form.
He finished T-3 at the Phoenix Open, T-6 at AT&T Pebble Beach, T-16 at the Genesis, and T-13 at the Players Championship.
Such form cannot be overlooked, even when the likes of two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Rory McIlroy, former Masters winner Jon Rahm, and former US Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau, are among the starters.
Players with the best chance at the Masters are usually golfers who have had a great first three months before the first Major, and Bhatia has certainly had a good run, though he started 2026 with missed cuts at the American Express and the Farmers Insurance.
The latest recruit in Tiger Woods' team, Jupiter Links, in the TGL league, Bhatia could spring a surprise.
Last year, he showed that he has the ability to perform at the highest level with a T-3 at the Players Championship, and this year, he won the Palmer Invitational.
His two starts in Augusta have yielded modest results, with T-35 in 2024 and T-42 in 2025, but he did make the Tour Championship.
After his first practice round, Bhatia, who will play his first round with Tommy Fleetwood and former Masters champion Patrick Reed, spoke about Amen Corner.
"Yeah, I mean, 11 is a new green, so that's already going to be firm. It just makes your landing zones a lot smaller. You have to be very precise and miss in the right spot. Definitely makes it trickier."
"And then, when the grass dries up here, it gets really tough. Also, chipping around some of those greens can be really tough," Bhatia said.
"You just have to have some creativity when it comes to trying to make par. For example, on 11 and 12, if you make par every day, you're gaining a lot. 13 plays a little easier with that. With it being firmer, you can go a little further and you have a shorter club in."
"I think 11 is obviously a really cool hole. It's just one of the hardest holes I think we play all year. Then 12 might be the best 150-yard par-3 in the world. It's so hard. You can look like a fool, or you can look great hitting it to 40 feet. That's what's great about the Masters," he added.
The other Indian-American who is catching the eye is Sahith Theegala, who, however, will not be here this year due to injuries in 2025. He was unable to make ground and qualify for the Masters this time.
Indo-British Aaron Rai, who is recovering from a neck injury, has had a slow start. His best has been T-23 at Cognizant, and he missed the cut at the Players and Valspar.
Coming to the defending champion, McIlroy has strong momentum going into the Masters in 2025, when he won twice at Pebble Beach and The Players.
There were no wins this year, and he finished T-2 at Genesis, but more importantly, he withdrew from the Palmer Invitational and finished T-46 at the Players Championship. He has not played since, and it has been four weeks. So, it remains to be seen how he defends his Green Jacket.
Scheffler, twice Masters winner in the last three years, has been a dominant star. So high are the expectations from him that even a win (American Express) and T-3 at Phoenix and T-4 at Pebble Beach, followed by T-12 (Genesis), T-24 (Palmer), and T-22 (Players) seem a little below par.
But the four-time Major winner with 14 PGA Tour wins and two more at the star-studded Hero World Challenge would automatically put him as a strong favourite for a third Green Jacket.