Akshay Bhatia didn’t need to think twice about dedicating his win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in memory of his five-year-old niece Mia, who suffered from “a rare disease” and passed away on the day of the golfer’s wedding last year.
“She was a fighter for a long time. She wasn’t supposed to make it past a year old. You know, the coolest thing about it was she was there at our wedding, which was really hard for her to travel. And it was the day of our wedding she passed away, she didn’t make it.
“We obviously tried everything, and had a great support system ... she stayed in a house where we got married, it was called Heaven on Earth. She loved the sand. She got to see everyone. So I told my sister, you know, I’ve been thinking about her for a long time after she passed, and dedicated this win for her.”
Bhatia’s win moved the Californian up to a career best 19th in the official world rankings.
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