Last weekend, Akshay Bhatia secured his first victory of 2026 and his third career win on the PGA Tour.
The 24-year-old has been in exceptional form with a top-five, top-10 and top-20 finish in his three events leading up to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Bhatia played solidly across all four rounds and mounted an impressive comeback on Sunday. Trailing by five strokes to Daniel Berger heading into the back nine, he surged with four consecutive birdies, forcing a playoff with Berger and clinching the win in sudden death.
But while his thrilling victory was widely celebrated, it came with controversy.
Bhatia uses a 50-inch Odyssey Jailbird 380 Broomstick putter, a piece of equipment that has drawn scrutiny. He switched to the long putter in September 2023, moving away from the conventional style, after ranking 183rd on the PGA Tour for Strokes Gained: Putting. He was losing more than half a stroke to the field at the time.
Since the change, his putting performance has dramatically improved—he rose to 33rd in 2024 and finished 35th in 2025.
The problem is that Bhatia is alleged to be anchoring his putter by holding the end of his broomstick against his chest, which is against the rules.
I don’t think he is. Here is why.
Evidence of Bhatia’s putting stroke
In 2016, the USGA banned the anchoring stroke which prevents players from touching the putter to any part of their body.
Bhatia has used this broomstick putter for years but it wasn’t until now that the issue was raised. Is this criticism just because he won a signature event against the best players in the world? It’s time for players to stop complaining and start appreciating an up-and-coming star rather than accusing him of cheating.
Videos of Bhatia’s putting stroke show what appears to be the top of the putter anchored against his chest but this is a misunderstanding.
His torso, arms and putter move in unison which makes it look like the putter is anchored but it is simply a smooth, well-executed stroke.
Yes, you can see a slight dimpling in his shirt when he addresses the putter but that doesn’t prove he’s anchoring. The shirt is not part of his body and it doesn’t violate the anchoring rule.
And past playing partners like Michael Kim are convinced that he is not anchoring.
“It’s funny to me that Akshay anchoring is a thing. In person, it’s not that close. This is not a concern amongst the players,” Kim wrote on Twitter.
Bhatia gained an impressive 10.6 strokes on the field with his putting at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, three strokes better than second-place Billy Horschel and seven strokes ahead of Berger, whom he defeated in the playoff.
Currently, Bhatia ranks 12th in SG: Putting this season, demonstrating that he is simply refining his technique.
Rule 14-1b: Anchoring the club
In making a stroke, a player must not anchor the club, either “directly” or through the use of an “anchor point.”
- Note 1: The club is considered “anchored directly” when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of their body, except when holding the club or gripping hand against the hand or forearm.
- Note 2: An “anchor point” occurs when a player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of their body to establish the gripping hand as a stable point, around which the other hand can swing the club.
History of the anchoring the club rule
The so-called “belly putter” has been in use for many years with the first one approved for PGA Tour use in 1965. Notable golfers such as Johnny Miller, Paul Azinger and Vijay Singh used the belly putter.
It wasn’t until the 2000s that players began anchoring the putter to their bodies which sparked questions about whether they were gaining an unfair advantage. In August 2011, Keegan Bradley made history as the first player to win a major championship using an anchored putter. This was followed by a stretch where four of the next six major championships were won with anchored putters.
In November 2012, the USGA proposed a rule change to ban anchoring strokes, effective in January 2016. This led to the introduction of Rule 14-1b which the PGA Tour adopted in July 2013.
Is Bhatia anchoring or is this much ado about nothing?
Should players still be allowed to anchor to their arms?
Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Akshay Bhatia hits a putt during his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (GETTY IMAGES/Michael Pimentel)