Akshay Bhatia, who shot a 2-under par 70, claimed the third qualifying spot at the 2017 United States Open Championship Local Qualifier held at Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Wednesday. He hopes to become a PGA professional one day and the first golfer to ever shoot a 59 in the Masters at the Augusta National.
“I’m one step closer to playing in the US Open,” Bhatia said, “I just want to have fun in the next event. I’ll have a lot of people rooting for me, so it will be exciting.”
Sectional qualifying will be conducted over 36 holes and will be held on June 5, at 10 sites in the United States. For the 12th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, scheduled for May 22 and May 29, respectively.
Bhatia, who has a busy schedule, has another event lined up before the US Open Sectional. Bhatia and Grayson Wotnosky both practice together at TPC Wakefield Plantation, and the two qualified as a team to play this month in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball championship in Pinehurst.
