Just hours before the 2026 Valspar Championship began, the PGA Tour suffered another significant blow. Several withdrawals plagued the tournament on Monday. Now, Akshay Bhatia has also withdrawn. This WD has given a chance to a golfer who has had 4 starts so far this season.

Bhatia would be replaced by Sam Ryder in the Valspar field. Ryder has made 2 out of 4 cuts this season. His best finish out of the two was 27th at the American Express. He turned pro in 2012 and joined the Tour in 2018. His lowest round was when he shot 62 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2018-19.

Bhatia had just come off a controversial Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 win a couple of weeks ago. He received a lot of criticism for his putting technique. Netizens questioned his position and accused him of cheating. He also tried to prove his innocence by suggesting something absurd at TPC Sawgrass for the spectators to see.

Speaking of Sawgrass, Bhatia delivered another promising performance in the PGA Tour flagship event. He finished at T13 in The PLAYERS Championship. If the spectators hadn’t mocked him, the 24-year-old might have performed better. That said, two weeks of intense action were probably enough for him. And Bhatia might have needed a breather to avoid any injuries before the Masters Tournament.

That said, neither Bhatia nor the PGA Tour has confirmed the reason behind his withdrawal yet. While the pro may be preparing for his upcoming visit to India to participate in the Hero Indian Open at DLF Golf Club, the Tour’s headquarters must be concerned about several withdrawals.

On March 16, 2026, three players—Keith Mitchell, Robert MacIntyre, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju—had already confirmed their withdrawal from the 2026 Valspar Championship. William Mouw and Max Greyserman had also confirmed their exit a few hours ago. Neither of them had provided any explanation for their exit from the event except for Yellamaraju.

The PGA Tour might breathe some sigh of relief despite Akshay Bhatia’s withdrawal

Yellamaraju told Wingo that he needs some rest and will be back on the field after a week. He will be playing in the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course next week. While the field for the event is not confirmed yet, it’s pleasing to see that the 24-year-old Canadian pro is committed to playing as often as he can.

Yellamaraju put on a stunning show at TPC Sawgrass. This was his debut at THE PLAYERS, and he shot 73, 72, 66, and 68 to finish fifth and take home a lucrative sum of $925,000.

In addition to him, the Texas Children’s Houston Open also has commitments from Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, and defending champion Min Woo Lee. If it doesn’t have many withdrawals, then the $9.9 million event might boast a strong field.