The DP World Tour is in its Asian Swing, and the golfers have landed in India for the Hero Indian Open 2026. While the field features many elite professionals, one of the most popular names is Akshay Bhatia. Speaking at the pre-event press conference on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the American professional answered many questions. However, the question about the time he tied the knot with his wife, Presleigh Schultz, and his response stood out.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been amazing. Presleigh and I have known each other for five years. So it was a matter of time. But definitely through the process of planning the marriage, which I didn’t do much of, getting all the families together. It was definitely a lot of extra things that we had to deal with during last year in the season,” Akshay Bhatia said, speaking to EssentiallySports.

“But once we got married, it was obviously one of the best days of my life. So it’s definitely lighten the load a little bit because we have no more planning. And we can always kinda look back at those memories and, regardless of how our year is going, our days are going, we know we have each other. So it’s been amazing to kinda cherish those moments.”

The 3x PGA Tour winner married Presleigh Schultz in December 2025. They tied their knot at The Abaco Club in the Bahamas after a three-day celebration officiated by her uncle.

As Bhatia revealed, the two have known each other for the past five years. The couple met via Instagram DMs in 2021. During that time, Schultz knew little about golf. However, she became his caddie for his first pro win at the 2022 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. They then got engaged in September 2023 in Napa Valley.

The relief of the marriage management Bhatia spoke about is reflected in his current season. Across 7 starts on the PGA Tour, he has made the cut in 5. Both these missed cut events were the initial 2 on the PGA Tour. Since then, he finished T3 at the WM Phoenix Open, T6 at the Genesis Invitational, and T13 at the Players Championship.

Besides that, he got his 3rd PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026. He carded rounds of 70-66-68-69 to finish the regulation rounds at 15-under par 273 to tie at the top with Daniel Berger. However, Berger hit a bogey in the playoff round, while Bhatia secured his title with an on-par finish.

Now, Bhatia is back in contention at the Hero Indian Open 2026 on the DP World Tour. It will be his first event on the DP World Tour this season. He has won the Barracuda Championship 2023 previously on the tour, and will eye his second title.

After the load of marriage preparations disappeared, Akshay Bhatia’s game on the PGA Tour has improved as he cherishes the lovely moments with his wife, Presleigh Schultz. However, there’s something worrisome going on in his professional life that could derail his focus.

Fans accuse Akshay Bhatia of cheating

The Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 winner uses a 50-inch Jailbird broomstick putter. It goes all the way to near his chest when he is putting, leading to anchoring accusations. Critics pointed to a dent in his shirt near his trailing hand in a final-round photo from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2026. There were murmurs around his WM Phoenix Open 2026 play, too.

During a conversation on the Fore Play Podcast Plus episode, Bhatia revealed that he is not cheating at all. In fact, he claimed that the putter is 3 to 4 inches away from his chest.

“I told [Dan] Rapaport last week, ‘I’d rather just take my shirt off and show everyone this is where I’m at because it’s three to four inches from my chest,” the American professional said.

The PGA Tour pro gave the reason that he is not built like Adam Scott and Lucas Glover. Unlike them, he is skinny. Thus, while it might look like his hands are touching his chest, they are not.

Even as scrutiny over his putting technique continues to follow him, Akshay Bhatia has remained composed. He has addressed the accusations without letting them shake his focus. However, only time would tell how long he could keep the noise out of his mind. With the Masters 2026 nearing, this is not the time he would want to worry about some rumors and accusations.