CROMWELL, Conn. — Akshay Bhatia vaulted up the leaderboard Friday, carding an 8-under 62 in the second round of the Travelers Championship.
For a course that’s been playing favorably all week, Bhatia took advantage of soggy conditions early and often on Friday to match his career-low round on Tour. He was able to better Eric Cole’s opening-round 63 thanks to a bogey-free card that included four birdies on the front and another four on the back.
Bhatia, who came into the day T-14, has put himself in position to compete for his second victory of the season, having claimed the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. At 12 under, he finished two back of Viktor Hovland, who shot 61, and currently sits T-3. Scottie Scheffler, the 2024 champ, finished his round at the top of the leaderboard after shooting 60. The world No. 1 missed a final birdie putt on the 18th; he was within a foot of breaking 60.
“I know how this golf course can play — you got to kind of keep making birdies and try and limit mistakes,” said Bhatia who finished T-5 two years ago before placing T-54 in 2025.
Coming off a T-17 at Shinnecock a week ago, Bhatia said he could feel momentum with his putter coming into the final signature event of the PGA Tour season.
“Last week was a big factor of that, you know, Poa annua and wind and a bunch of things like that,” he told reporters. “I feel like I kind of showed up this week, you know, did my same stuff, and my speed has been really good this week. I’ve had pretty stress-free putts. Missed a couple of short ones, but that’s going to happen.”
