And not just anywhere.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old left-hander instead aligned himself with Tiger Woods<\/a>, agreeing to join Jupiter Links GC as an alternate for the new TGL<\/a> season \u2014 a move that speaks volumes about where his loyalties lie.<\/p>\n The high-tech league is already underway, and Bhatia will now be on call to step in when needed for Woods\u2019 star-studded lineup, which also features Max Homa, Kevin Kisner and Tom Kim.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n According to multiple reports, Mickelson\u2019s HyFlyers GC made a serious push for Bhatia, with big money on the table. But the young American didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n Just hours later, Woods\u2019 franchise made it official.<\/p>\n \u201cMeet our official alternate and Jupiter local,\u201d Jupiter Links GC posted on Instagram. \u201cLet\u2019s give @akshay a warm Jup Crew welcome!\u201d<\/p>\n Bhatia, a two-time PGA Tour winner, has quietly become one of the most reliable young players in the game, reaching the Tour Championship at East Lake in back-to-back seasons \u2014 no small feat in today\u2019s cut-throat landscape.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n He ended 2025 ranked 46th in the Official World Golf Rankings, shortly before marrying wife Presleigh \u2014 and firmly on LIV Golf\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n But even with a sizeable payday dangling in front of him, Bhatia refused to budge.<\/p>\n His stance mirrors that of Si Woo Kim, who recently revealed he had also rejected LIV Golf interest despite being targeted for a move to Iron Heads GC, opting instead to remain on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n Akshay Bhatia with wife Presleigh Schultz<\/p>\n LIV Golf still missing the stars<\/p>\n While LIV Golf continues to bolster its numbers ahead of the 2026 season, it is still failing where it matters most \u2014 landing true marquee names.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Victor Perez and Laurie Canter signed late in 2025, while Elvis Smylie and Thomas Detry are confirmed arrivals for 2026. More additions are expected via LIV Golf Promotions this week.<\/p>\n But superstar PGA Tour talent?<\/p>\n That cupboard remains bare.<\/p>\n Brooks Koepka<\/p>\n According to Golf Channel, LIV Golf is finding it increasingly difficult to pry established stars away from the PGA Tour \u2014 and Bhatia is the latest high-profile \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Jon Rahm remains LIV Golf\u2019s last blockbuster signing, joining in December 2023 on a deal widely reported to be worth around $300 million. Since then, the mega-moves have dried up.<\/p>\n Missing out on Bhatia is another blow at a sensitive time for the league, coming just weeks after Brooks Koepka \u201camicably\u201d split with LIV Golf.<\/p>\n Koepka became the first major name to walk away from the league, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite his PGA Tour suspension, the five-time major champion is expected to play a limited 2026 schedule centred around the majors, with occasional DP World Tour starts \u2014 as he did in 2025.<\/p>\n With LIV Golf\u2019s new season set to begin next month in Saudi Arabia, the league may be adding players \u2014 but its hunt for genuine star power is proving tougher than ever.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n And Akshay Bhatia\u2019s decision to choose Tiger over Phil only underlines that struggle.<\/p>\n Subscribe to our Newsletter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Akshay Bhatia has sent a loud and unmistakable message to LIV Golf \u2014 and it\u2019s one Phil Mickelson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393665,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-393664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Akshay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/bhatia12.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Brooks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767780910_728_brooks-koepka12.jpg\")
<\/p>\n