Following a third-round 4-under 68 at the Valero Texas Open, Akshay Bhatia (1st/-15) holds the 54-hole lead by four strokes over Denny McCarthy.
Related: Akshay Bhatia stretches lead at Valero Texas Open
Will become the first wire-to-wire winner on the PGA TOUR since Lee Hodges at the 2023 3M Open.
Wire-to-wire winners at the Valero Texas Open: Mike Souchak (1955), Bob Estes (1994)
Equals the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR this season (Jake Knapp, Mexico Open at Vidanta).
Has the largest 54-hole lead at the Valero Texas Open since Jimmy Walker led by four over Jordan Spieth en route to winning in 2015; two shy of the largest 54-hole lead at the Valero Texas Open: 6 (Tommy Armour III/2003).
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Holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the first time; previous-best position after 54 holes: 2nd (2024 Sentry/finished T14), T2 (2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta/finished 4th).
Is making third start at the event (MC/2021, T46/2023).
Bhatia has five top-20 finishes in nine starts this season, with a T11 at last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open his best outing.
Has one win in 53 prior PGA TOUR starts (2023 Barracuda Championship).
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With a win Sunday, will become the first Drive, Chip and Putt participant to play in the Masters; participated in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in 2014, finishing sixth place overall in the boys 12-13 age group.
Denny McCarthy (2nd/-11) seeks his first TOUR win in his 174th start, with a playoff loss to Viktor Hovland at the 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday his best finish.
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Four of the last six winners of the Valero Texas Open earned their first TOUR title: Kevin Chappell (2017), Andrew Landry (2018), Corey Conners (2019), J.J. Spaun (2022).
Three-time PGA TOUR winner Brendon Todd (3rd/-8) is in search of his second victory in Texas (2014 AT&T Byron Nelson); has two top-10 finishes in seven prior starts at the Valero Texas Open (T6/2014, T8/2022).
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Hideki Matsuyama (T4/-7) is making his fourth straight appearance at the Valero Texas Open (T30/2021, WD/2022, T15/2023), with his first start in 2021 coming the week before winning the Masters Tournament; entered the week No. 3 in the FedExCup standings, the highest position of any player in the field; along with Alex Noren (T7/-5), posted the round of the day (66).
Four-time PGA TOUR winner Russell Henley (T4/-7) has a pair of season-best T4 finishes (Sony Open in Hawaii, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard) and is currently No. 35 in the FedExCup standings; has never finished outside of the top 100 in the FedExCup since joining the TOUR in 2013.
