Scottsdale (US), February 8 Akshay Bhatia put himself in contention at the WM Phoenix Open, while Sahith Theegala was battling to qualify for the first two USD 20 million Signature Events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
Bhatia, who missed the cuts in the previous two events, shot a second consecutive 67 to be tied sixth with one round remaining, while Theegala carded a 70, which included two bogeys in the last three holes. Theegala, who has had Top-10 finishes in his last two starts, is now tied for 16th, and a Top-10 finish could secure his spot in the Signature events.
Hideki Matsuyama shot a 3-under 68 despite some missed opportunities to take the lead in the third round. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was lurking five shots behind the leader after shooting a 67 in a tight leaderboard with four players a shot behind Matsuyama.
Another Indian-origin player, Sudarshan Yellamaraju (70), was tied for 25th.
Theegala had an inconsistent round, with five birdies against four bogeys, three of which came on his back nine.
After finishing 246th in the 2025 FedExCup Fall standings, Theegala entered this season in the final year of his winner's exemption and was looking for form after a neck injury that affected his campaign last year. He responded with Top-31, Top-8, and Top-7 finishes to begin the year.
His week has been uneven, with opening and third rounds of 70 surrounding a Friday 65, but at T16 and 8-under, he remains firmly in contention.
Bhatia had a strong start with three birdies in the first five holes, followed by three more between the 15th and 17th. He had three bogeys on the ninth, 11th, and 14th, and another birdie on the 12th.
Matsuyama, a two-time champion here, was tied with Ryo Hisatsune after 17 holes, but took the outright lead into the final round after Hisatsune failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker for a bogey on the 18th. Hisatsune shot a 70 to finish at 12 under.
Nicolai Højgaard had five birdies in his final six holes to shoot a bogey-free 65. Maverick McNealy had a stretch of four birdies in five holes on the back nine to shoot 65. Si Woo Kim had an eagle on the par-5 third hole to shoot 66 and join them at 12 under.
Scheffler extended the PGA TOUR's longest active cuts streak to 66 with a bogey-free 65 in the second round. He added a 67 in the third round and is T-16.