PGA Tour: Bhatia Tops Leaderboard at Pebble Beach with 19-Under 197

Akshay Bhatia holds 2-shot lead at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Akshay Bhatia leads PGA Tour at Pebble Beach with 19-under 197, two shots ahead of Collin Morikawa.

“I wanted to come out and win the tournament...” 

Akshay Bhatia stormed into a two-shot lead at the PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am, carding a four-under par 68 on Saturday. He birdied six of the first seven holes, but the gusting winds at the iconic 18th hole had him waiting - and nearly got the better of him, as his seven-foot birdie putt just missed.

Akshay Bhatia had a great start, saying, “Always nice to get off to a good start.” He made six birdies in the first seven holes, but didn't make another one after that. The 24-year-old American finished 54 holes on 19-under 197, seeing his five-shot lead trimmed to two ahead of Sunday's final round.

Saturday scenes at Pebble ✨

5 players are within 3 shots heading into Sunday @ATTProAm.

(in partnership with @Rolex) pic.twitter.com/IIhlh8qAJh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 15, 2026

“Just battling the elements at Pebble Beach is always fun,” Bhatia said.

“Then you're holding on for a little bit once you get to eight, nine, 10, 12. And then 17 is a brutal hole today. Happy with today for sure.”

Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner, is tied for second on 199 after a stunning 62 - he birdied five of his last six holes. He's sharing the spot with Jake Knapp and Sepp Straka. Jacob Bridgeman's on 200, and Hideki Matsuyama's on 201.

“I wanted to come out and win the tournament,” Morikawa said. “Now we've given ourself a chance.”

Akshay Bhatia's looking for his third PGA Tour win after successes at the 2023 Barracuda Championship and 2024 Texas Open. A win at Pebble Beach would be a great addition to his resume.

“One out of every 30 events we play can get this challenging,” Bhatia said. “I'm just looking forward to that and having a good time.”

Sunday's forecast is looking pretty wild, with gusts around 35 mph - Bhatia might've been crossing his fingers for a delay after dealing with those crazy winds at the 18th hole.

“I was hoping so but tomorrow doesn't look any better,” Bhatia said. “Our golf balls were just oscillating and technically it's not a moving ball but it's just hard to get over a putt when you see your golf ball moving forwards, backwards, backwards, forwards. It's just brutal.

“It's hard to hit a putt like that with those conditions and with everything going on in your head. I was happy to make five there.”

Bhatia got off to a blazing start, sinking birdie putts from five feet and nine feet on the first two holes. He kept the momentum going with birdies at the fourth (eight-footer), fifth (27-footer), sixth (six-footer), and seventh (just inside eight feet).

The 24-year-old American's form dipped slightly later, with bogeys at the par-three 12th and 17th holes.

Ryo Hisatsune's challenge fumbled with a 74, dropping him to 203. The Japanese golfer had shared the 36-hole lead with Bhatia, but things didn't go as planned.

World number one Scottie Scheffler's solid 67 puts him in 22nd on 205, eight shots off the lead. Defending champion Rory McIlroy shot a 72, putting him in 39th on 207.