PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The PGA Tour brings together the best golfers in the entire world, no matter where they come from or how they look.
Additionally, there have only been a handful of PGA Tour professionals that come from Indian descent, but now, there is Indian American star on the rise, who is laying down the groundwork for the next generations.
"It's huge I think, especially playing on the biggest tour in the world. Just being able to show that it's possible, and for us to give back eventually is a really big goal of mine," said Akshay Bhatia, a professional golfer of Indian descent.
Akshay Bhatia's journey, however, did start with some doubt.
"My mom was all skeptical," Bhatia added, "she didn't know too much about golf, and I think in our culture, school's very important and you kind of have to do it the right way".
Akshay's mom shared her doubts.
"He decided not to go to college, and I tried to talk him into going, but when he explained he was very serious about playing golf, I thought about it and I'm like if I don't give him this chance, it may not come back. So, we just took a chance and let him decide what he wanted to do," said Renu Bhatia, Akshay's mother.
They said that one chance has paid off.
"We are really blessed, truly blessed that he can be here. He has worked really hard, so we're just enjoying this journey with him," Renu added.
Akshay's father said being proud is an understatement.
"Take away whatever you can learn from him. He's always there and he's a good influence on the next generation of golfers," said Sonny Bhatia, Akshay's father.
Now, with the platform Akshay has, he knows there is still a long way to go.
"I think there's so much growth to be done internationally, especially in India. And I think that me and Sahith (Theegala) have a big role in that, and a couple other guys on the DP World Tour," he added.
However, mom proudly said, she's already seeing improvements.
"When you grow up in the U.S., your thinking changes, so you have to really just go with the society pretty much. So, I feel like that has definitely helped many parents' mindset changing slowly," said Renu.
Finally, the landscape is definitely changing, and no matter where you come from or how you look, it's always up to you and your support system to get you to the places you want to be.