Rule 10.1b (formerly Rule 14-1b) of Golf: It prohibits a player from anchoring the club while making a stroke, either directly or indirectly. The goal of this rule is to ensure the club is swung freely without using the body for support or stability.

The debate surrounding Akshay Bhatia’s putting technique was already simmering. And after his remarkable comeback win at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational (API), the controversy found fresh fuel.

Bhatia started the fourth round in the final pairing, but his situation grew dire during the front nine. After missing a 30-inch par putt on the 9th hole, he fell five shots behind leader Daniel Berger at the turn. However, Bhatia responded with an ‘Arnold Palmer’ like charge on the back nine, reeling off four consecutive birdies. The climax arrived at the par-5 16th, when he fired an eagle that reduced Berger’s advantage to one. And then he finally secured the win on the first playoff hole after Berger, who had led nearly the entire tournament.

Soon enough, Bhatia’s putting technique came into immediate question. Again. Ship It Nation’s co-founder, Tyler Tamboline, took to social media and shared a photo of Bhatia’s putting showing the lack of daylight between his hand and his t-shirt, writing: “Might need an A-P-I for the API winner…👀Anchor Putting Investigation.”

Tyler Tamboline was far from the first person to raise this topic. Just weeks earlier, when Bhatia was leading the leaderboard at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a 15-under par total after round three, the popular golf account Rick Golfs on X started a thread.

“Is Akshay anchoring here? I am not accusing. But there is a point to the question. The USGA and R&A screwed up royally when they banned anchoring but didn’t ban putter length. Because touching clothing is legal, it’s impossible to detect now,” the post read.

The controversy at Pebble Beach grew so loud that Bhatia eventually addressed the issue.

“Not anchoring. Literally 2 inches short of my chest, haha,” Bhatia said.

However, as Bhatia celebrates his third career trophy, all of which have remarkably come in playoff victories, it seems the fans are not ready to let the topic go.

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Fans react to Akshay Bhatia’s controversial putting technique

“Cheat putter. Asterisk,” one fan stated just after the win.

Before 2016, players could use their ‘belly’ or ‘broomstick’ putters, pressing the club against their midsection or chest to create more stability. But after that, the USGA and R&A officially banned anchoring with Rule 10.1b. It says players cannot anchor a club to create a steady and fixed pivot point. Now, in several videos and photos from the tournaments, it clearly shows Bhatia’s broomstick handle brushing against his polo shirt. And this is where the problem began.

One fan who already congratulated Bhatia on a hard-fought win added, “Good for him, but that putting style sure seems sus,” while another said, “Ban that cheating putter.”

The reason for this particular frustration lies in the drastic transformation of Bhatia’s career. In early 2023, Bhatia was struggling immensely on the greens. He had even admitted several times to “searching” for his game before switching to the broomstick in late 2023 at the Fortinet Championship, on the advice of Lucas Glover. Since that shift, his stats have skyrocketed.

“Wouldn’t have a clue how he can be allowed to put like that,” one fan said.

And finally, another fan repeated the same saying, “But yall still won’t make him use a real putter?”

Bhatia is not the first, nor will he be the last, player to face this level of heat. The pioneer of the modern broomstick controversy was Bernhard Langer. The suspicion surrounding Langer became so intense that at the 2025 Charles Schwab Championship, two fans followed Langer on the course wearing T-shirts that read ‘USGA Rule 10.1B’ and ‘Anchoring is not a crime… it’s just against the rules.’

Regardless of the noise online, the 24-year-old still walks away with the biggest win of his career at Bay Hill. Yet as long as questions around his technique linger, his triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational may remain as debated as it was celebrated.