From 32nd in 2023 and 59th in 2024 to 103rd in 2025 and now 128th in 2026, Akshay Bhatia’s SG: Off-the-Tee numbers are declining every year. The story continues at the Charles Schwab Challenge 2026. Despite carding 8 under after two rounds and being in contention to win, he is -0.724 in SG: Off-the-tee. Fresh off another frustrating day of poor driving, the 3x PGA Tour winner opened up about a lingering issue he cannot fully explain.

“Once I get on the golf course, I’m just struggling with, I don’t know what it is, because I don’t feel like I’m scared of anything. But subconsciously something is going on, so again, I just got to keep doing my thing, and it will happen; it’s just going to take a lot of work,” the 24-year-old said at the post-round media press conference.

In Round 2, he hit 3 greens and 6 fairways of the 18 tee shots. The American professional revealed that last week, he hit 300 drivers just to try to get the golf ball to land on the fairway or at least very close to it. When practicing, he gets it right, but when he arrives at the tee box, things change.

While this is an on-course trouble, Akshay Bhatia takes it home and is significantly affected by it: “I think this game can consume your life, your happiness, and so I’m just trying to figure out ways to change that because I feel like I don’t really want to live my life based on an unstable game,” he said at the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025.

He was anxious about the 2026 campaign, too. So, his wife, Presleigh Schultz, told him that he is giving too much power to anxiety. Speaking on the Smylie Kaufman Show, he said that her advice was to change the chain of thought. He should either avoid the word “anxiety” or replace it with something else, and it worked, as he felt calm at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the WM Phoenix Open.

But although that was helpful, he still feels that something is going on subconsciously; maybe he is thinking about the Presidents Cup, which is to happen from September 24 to 27. And even his caddie agrees.

“Yeah, Joe mentioned maybe he thought I was thinking about it [Presidents Cup], but he said, ‘Brandt’s not looking at how you’re playing golf right now; it’s more how you’re handling certain things.’ So I took that with me, and even subconsciously, maybe I am thinking about it. So, yeah, you just keep learning about how you feel and what it means to you, and obviously, to play in a team event, everyone really talks highly about it, and to be a part of those teams, you build bonds, and that’s what I want to do,” Akshay Bhatia added.

Brandt Snedeker is the captain of the American team and was paired with Bhatia today. Playing with him also made him nervous, given what happened last time. Bhatia came close in 2024, when he was 11th in the standings with just 3 weeks to go, but he didn’t make it.

Bhatia played the Junior Presidents Cup in 2017 when he was 15. He was undefeated (3-0-0) and helped Team USA to a 14-10 victory over the International Team. But since he turned professional in 2019, he has never had an opportunity to play the biennial event.

Now, this year, he is thankful he has Joe Greiner, as he has been a huge support to him, especially in helping him with his mentality. When he won his 3rd PGA Tour title, he revealed that Greiner had motivated him. Before he hit the eagle on 16th in the final round to tie for the lead, his caddie told him, “Just hit one of the best 6-irons of your life right here.”

He also said that throughout the week, Greiner reminded him that “you can play happy, you can play nervous, you can play upset, or angry.” The aim should be to play regardless of one’s emotional state. But all of that advice might have fallen a little short because his subconscious mind was again causing trouble.

In the competitive world of golf, Bhatia is not the only one facing these challenges.

Golf professionals who have faced mental health struggles

One of the key examples is of Grayson Murray. The 2x PGA Tour winner had openly discussed depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction. He was even sober for around 8 months and seemed to have been doing better. However, he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2024 and took his own life.

Will Wilcox has also suffered from similar struggles. The professional golfer was exposed to opioids at the age of 13 and started using them by 18. He was even arrested for it twice.

“I’d have 10,000 people screaming because I’d made a 40 ft putt and I’d earn $500,000—then I’d be in a heroin den two hours later with homeless drug addicts,” Wilcox said in an interview with The Times.

Matthew Wolff is another pro who brought mental health to the forefront during the 2021 US Open. Bubba Watson had helped him then to understand the strain of pro golf and cope with it.

Such stories show how deeply the pressures of professional golf can affect a player’s mental well-being, even at the highest level. Akshay Bhatia’s recent struggles off the tee reflect the same battle between confidence and subconscious pressure, as he continues to search for consistency.