Akshay Bhatia withdraws from Valspar Championship

Akshay Bhatia has withdrawn from this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.

No reason was given for Bhatia’s withdrawal.

The 23-year-old American tied for third place Sunday at the 2025 Players Championship, finishing just two shots behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy, who defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff Monday.

Withdrawing from the Valspar field keeps Bhatia from playing six times in seven weeks. He is also sitting out next week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open but is expected to defend his Valero Texas Open title the following week, just ahead of the Masters starting April 10.

Bhatia, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is the first person who participated in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National as a kid and went on to make a Masters field. He competed at Augusta for the first time as a 12-year-old in 2014.

Source: espn.com