Golf is all about traditions and rules, but there are some grey areas that lead to debate. Akshay Bhatia finds himself in the crosshairs as fans are questioning his putting style at the $20 million AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am 2026. While fans claim it to be illegal, the American professional has now opened up to defend his move.
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“Not anchoring. Literally 2 inches short of my chest haha,” Akshay Bhatia wrote as a comment on an Instagram post by Ways to Golf.
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The post questioned his putting style. “Is Akshay anchoring here? I am not accusing. But there is a point to the question. The USGA and R&A screwed up royally when they banned anchoring but didn’t ban putter length. Because touching clothing is illegal, it’s impossible to detect now,” read the text in the first slide of the post.
The controversy emerged in Round 2 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Akshay Bhatia shot a bogey-free 64 to reach 15-under par, tying with Ryo Hisatsune for the lead. This $20M purse event rotates courses, including Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, drawing top pros and celebrities with no 36-hole cut for professionals.
Bhatia built momentum from a T3 at last week’s WM Phoenix Open 2026, after missing cuts at AmEx and Farmers. At the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he is currently 15-under par 129 after Round 2. He is tied with Japanese golfer Hisatsune and closely followed by Rickie Fowler and Sam Burns with 14-under par.
Notably, fans are wondering whether anchoring got Bhatia to the top of the leaderboard. Some have even clearly said that what he did is illegal. Rule 10.1b bans anchoring the club against the body for stability. Governing bodies argued that anchoring deviates from golf’s core skill of controlling the full club swing. It creates an artificial stability point, which is against the idea of golf.
Despite the absence of a conclusive statistical edge, they prioritized tradition over data, rejecting recreational exemptions to uniform rules. Critics such as PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and pros Adam Scott and Ernie Els cited insufficient evidence and growth risks, while supporters such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy backed it.
However, long putters, like Bhatia’s 44-inch broomstick, are allowed if swinging freely without body pressure. Clothing contact creates detection ambiguity here, which is why the debate. Bhatia adopted the broomstick in late 2023 at the Fortinet Championship after ranking 170th in Strokes Gained: Putting. This helped boost his performance.
Interestingly, Akshay Bhatia isn’t the only one caught up in the chaos surrounding this ban.
Anchoring debate isn’t new
Post-2016, Bernhard Langer adapted his long putter by holding the grip with his left hand and guiding with his right forearm. While he faced anchoring accusations on multiple occasions, he denied them. Accusations peaked in 2017 after his Chubb Classic win. Golf instructor Hank Haney also questioned his method on Twitter.
The debate still continues, as some fans wore “cheating” T-shirts at the 2025 Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Langer affirmed compliance with rules officials, emphasizing self-awareness and golf’s integrity.
Matti Schmid also faced similar backlash at the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge. Schmid’s runner-up finish (11-under) sparked debate over his broomstick putter. Viral clips showed his left thumb/knuckle possibly pressing against his shirt at Colonial Country Club. Eddie Pepperell called for putter length bans, citing detection issues, while fans and media questioned if it violated Rule 10.1b without penalties assessed.
The same thing happened with Eugenio Chacarra at the Hero Indian Open. Fans called it cheating and referred to his stunt as something Langer has been doing for years.
Whether it’s Bernhard Langer, Mattic Schmid, or Akshay Bhatia, fans are consistently questioning long sticks. The 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am incident shows how quickly technique can overshadow performance at the highest level. With no penalty assessed and the debate still simmering, the spotlight now shifts back to whether his play will define his week at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am or his putter will take all the limelight.