Indian American golfer Akshay Bhatia finished Round 3 of the Charles Schwab Challenge with a 1-under 69, placing him tied fourth at 8-under-par. Despite a strong front nine and birdies on the 10th and 11th, Bhatia struggled late in the round, dropping three bogeys in four holes to close.
Ben Griffin and Matt Schmid remain atop the leaderboard, each shooting 68 for the third consecutive day to stand at 13-under.
Sharing fourth place with Bhatia are Robert MacIntyre (64) and Nick Hardy (67). Rickie Fowler (67) holds solo third at 9-under-par.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler climbed 42 spots into tied-seventh with a superb 64. His round featured four birdies, an eagle, and strong recovery after mid-round bogeys.
Bhatia, one of the rising Indian American stars on the PGA Tour, opened with two birdies and remained steady until the final stretch, where a few costly errors dented what was shaping up to be a low-scoring round.
As the final day looms, Griffin and Schmid remain the ones to beat, but several challengers, including Bhatia and Scheffler, are within striking distance.
