Bhatia wins Valero Open

SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia nearly celebrated too soon Sunday, hurting his left shoulder while pumping his arms on a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff. He recovered to make birdie on the first extra hole and win the Texas Open over hard-luck Denny McCarthy to earn a trip to the Masters.

It was a wild finish on so many levels.

McCarthy was six shots behind going to the back nine at the TPC San Antonio when he birdied eight of the nine holes — including the last seven — making a 12-foot birdie for a 9-under 63. Bhatia had to make his birdie putt from the same range to have a chance.

He made it for a 67, raising his arms to shake them in his clutch moment. And that's when he felt his shoulder — which he says has given him trouble before — pop out of its socket.

Bhatia hit his tee shot and laid up with a 5-iron on the par-5 18th in the playoff.

McCarthy, playing in his 174th PGA Tour event without winning, was first to play and chunked a wedge so badly that he immediately hung his head. The ball came up some 20 yards short into the middle of a creek.

And then Bhatia called for treatment, jogging off the course briefly to get his shoulder taped. He returned and hit wedge to 6 feet. Needing three putts to win, he holed it to win for the second time on the PGA Tour.

“Man, what a crazy, crazy day,” Bhatia said.

The 22-year-old Bhatia, who turned pro five years ago, won at the Barracuda Championship last summer. It was held opposite the British Open, so it did not get him into the Masters.

This one did, his first trip to Augusta National. And it came 10 years after Bhatia played in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at the home of the Masters. Now he gets to play on more than just the 18th green, and he fulfilled his mother's wish.

“This is awesome,” he said. “My mom's birthday was April 1, and her wish was to go to the Masters.”

McCarthy already earned his spot from finishing in the top 50 in the world last year, but all that mattered was that elusive PGA Tour trophy. He lost in a playoff last year at the Memorial to Viktor Hovland.