Jake Knapp and Akshay Bhatia chase Phoenix contention in final-round grouping

Jake Knapp and Akshay Bhatia entered Sunday’s final round at TPC Scottsdale in the thick of the hunt, paired together in a late starting group that kept them close enough to pressure the leaders while still needing a stretch of birdies to make a real run. For two players who have already shown they can close on the biggest stages, the pairing set up as one of the day’s most watchable subplots: a power-and-putting test in the desert with the famous closing stretch still looming.

Both arrived at the round within a few shots of the top, with a crowded leaderboard promising that a single hot nine holes could rewrite the tournament.

Where Knapp and Bhatia stood Sunday

Knapp and Bhatia were grouped together for a 12:35 p.m. ET tee time, a signal that they were among the most relevant chasers as the final round began. They started the day one shot behind another prominent contender in their group and within striking distance of the lead, with multiple players clustered ahead and just behind.

A live-update scoreboard later in the afternoon showed both still hovering around the top cluster, trading small swings as the leaders tried to separate. The bigger takeaway from the day’s setup remained the same: neither needed perfection, but both needed a clear “go” moment—either a run of birdies or a timely eagle—to force the issue.

The comparison that matters

This isn’t a rivalry, but it is a useful contrast: Knapp often looks most dangerous when he can stay patient and take advantage of scorable holes, while Bhatia’s best runs tend to come when his iron play gets dialed and the putts start falling in bunches.

What Jake Knapp needed to do

For Knapp, Sunday’s script usually starts with staying clean through the early holes and keeping pace with the groups ahead. His winning résumé already includes a tour title, and his best closing rounds have typically followed a pattern: avoid the “quick double” mistake, keep the ball in play, and let the birdies come on the holes that invite them.

At Scottsdale, the course can flip on you fast—desert areas punish misses, and the greens can turn defensive if you’re consistently putting from the wrong tier. Knapp’s path to a real Sunday charge depended on two things:

• Turning mid-range chances into birdies. If those 10–18 foot looks become pars all day, the leaders drift away.

• Capitalizing on par 5s. A conservative par can be a half-shot lost when the pack is bunched.

What Akshay Bhatia needed to do

Bhatia’s ceiling is obvious when he’s rolling: he can pile up birdies quickly and make a leaderboard feel small. He also has the experience of navigating Sunday tension, including winning a marquee spring event in recent seasons.

At Scottsdale, the biggest “tell” is often approach-shot control. When Bhatia’s distances are sharp, he can attack flags others won’t touch—especially with left-handed lines that open certain pins. When it’s slightly off, he can end up short-sided in places that demand a perfect recovery.

For Bhatia, Sunday’s priority was straightforward:

• Win the wedge-and-short-iron shots. The course gives you chances; you have to convert them.

• Avoid the single blow-up hole. One triple bogey can erase an entire birdie run in a hurry.

The stretch that decides everything

Even when players are rolling, Scottsdale’s finishing holes and the tournament’s noise factor can change the feel of a round. The famous par-3 16th is the most obvious pressure point, but it’s the sequence afterward that often decides whether a chase is real: scoreable moments sit right next to danger, and one conservative decision can be the difference between a top-10 and a playoff push.

For Knapp and Bhatia, the practical goal was to arrive at that stretch within two or three shots of the lead. If they did, every putt suddenly mattered to the entire tournament—not just their own scorecard.

What comes next for both players

Regardless of the final placing, the week matters for momentum. Knapp’s continued presence on late leaderboards strengthens the case that his early-career win wasn’t a one-off. For Bhatia, another Sunday in contention reinforces his trajectory as a player who belongs in the mix when the field is deep and the finish is chaotic.

The immediate next step is simple: how often they can turn “in the hunt” into “in control” as the season moves through bigger stages and tougher setups.

Sources consulted: PGA Tour; ESPN; CBS Sports; Golf Monthly