“Golf community raises suspicions about Akshay Bhatia’s victory at Bay Hill.”

The controversy in the world of golf is heating up, and at the center of it all is Akshay Bhatia, the young prodigy who won the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational in a way that has left many questioning the legitimacy of his victory. His triumph, filled with emotion and adrenaline, has been overshadowed by allegations of cheating related to his putting technique. The golf community is not willing to let this matter slide, and critical voices are growing louder.

According to the rules of golf, specifically Rule 10.1b, which prohibits anchoring the club during the stroke, Bhatia has come under scrutiny for his approach to putting, which raises suspicions about the legality of his style. The controversy began when Bhatia, starting the fourth and final day of the competition, faced a complicated situation. After a critical error on hole 9, where he missed a putt from just 30 inches, Bhatia found himself five shots behind the leader Daniel Berger. However, in an impressive turnaround, he bounced back with four consecutive birdies and, on hole 16, sealed his victory with an eagle, culminating in an exciting win on the first hole of the playoff.

The reaction came swiftly. Tyler Tamboline, co-founder of Ship It Nation, took to social media to raise the flag of controversy, posting a photo showing Bhatia making a putt with his hands very close to his shirt. “Might need an A-P-I for the API winner… Anchor Putting Investigation,” wrote Tamboline, stirring a debate that was already simmering among fans and golf experts.

This was not an isolated incident. Less than a month prior, during the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the famous profile “Rick Golfs” had already questioned Bhatia’s technique, suggesting that the USGA and the R&A made a mistake by allowing putters of varying lengths while banning anchoring. The debate quickly escalated, leading Bhatia to respond, stating that he “was not anchoring” and that his technique was just “literally 2 inches below my chest.”

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on social media is a mix of admiration and skepticism. Fans do not hesitate to express their opinions. “Cheat putter. Asterisk,” fired one fan right after the victory, while another questioned: “But aren’t they still forcing him to use a real putter?” The criticisms are fueled by Bhatia’s remarkable transformation in his career, as he struggled to find his game in 2023 before switching to the “broomstick” putter on the advice of Lucas Glover. Since then, his numbers have skyrocketed, which has not gone unnoticed by critics.

The history of golf is filled with controversies, and Bhatia is not the first to face doubts about his technique. The legendary Bernhard Langer faced similar scrutiny, leading fans to chase him at tournaments wearing shirts that criticized Rule 10.1b.

Regardless of what is said online, the truth is that Bhatia left Bay Hill with the biggest victory of his career. However, as long as the shadow of controversy hangs over his technique, his triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational may be remembered as much for the celebration as for the heated discussion it provoked. The question that remains is: how long will the golf community accept putting an asterisk next to the victories of players like Bhatia?