Akshay Bhatia orchestrated a stunning comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida. Trailing leader Daniel Berger by five strokes as he began the back nine, Bhatia delivered a performance that would have surely delighted the tournament’s legendary namesake.
Bhatia ignited his rally with an impressive four consecutive birdies, closing the gap to just one shot behind Berger. Despite a bogey on the 15th, Bhatia responded heroically on the par-5 16th, striking a 6-iron from 190 yards to within three-and-a-half feet of the pin for a crucial eagle, maintaining his one-shot proximity to Berger, who also birdied the hole.
The two competitors found themselves tied after Berger bogeyed the 16th. Both ultimately finished the regular 72 holes at 15-under-par 273, with Berger sinking a challenging nearly 14-foot par putt on the 18th to force a playoff. Bhatia completed his final round with a 3-under 69, while his playing partner Berger shot 70.
Returning to the 18th tee for the playoff, Berger’s drive landed in the left rough, leading to a difficult approach that left him 107 feet from the cup. He subsequently three-putted, missing a seven-foot, seven-inch par putt. Meanwhile, Bhatia secured his victory by two-putting for par from 27 feet, tapping in a three-footer. This marked Bhatia’s third career victory and earned him the impressive $4 million prize associated with a signature event.
“I’m very blessed to win [Mr. Palmer’s] event,” expressed 24-year-old Bhatia. “I know he was up there watching and probably pretty proud of how that finish was for this week.”
Missed Putt Fuels Bhatia’s Comeback
Following the conclusion of the rain-delayed third round on Sunday morning, Bhatia was just one stroke behind Berger, who was aiming to become the tournament’s first wire-to-wire champion since Jason Day in 2016.
Bhatia’s final round started with a bogey on the first hole, followed by a birdie on the fourth, and another bogey on the par-5 sixth after his second shot found the water. On the ninth hole, a three-putt from 29 feet, including a missed two-and-a-half-foot par putt, led to a 2-over 38 on the front nine, dropping him five shots behind Berger, who completed the front nine in 2 under.
“I was pretty annoyed missing that putt on 9,” Bhatia admitted. “That was just a mental mistake that you just can’t make in big tournaments. So I went to 10 tee very angry. And I told [caddie] Joe Greiner that was the first time I really showed some frustration. But I told him, you know, I said we shot 4 under yesterday on this side, let’s just try and do that again. And you just never know in this game.”
Red-Hot Performance on the Back Nine
Bhatia’s resolve paid off, as he played his back nine at 5 under par. He drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the 10th and followed it with an improbable 58-foot birdie on the 11th. He then got up and down from 51 feet for another birdie on the par-5 12th and sank a 12-footer for birdie on the 13th.
“That putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum,” Bhatia stated. “For the shot on 16, Joe said, ‘Try to hit the best 6-iron of your life,’ and I did. It was a perfect 6-iron. I pushed it, you know, the professional push, as we call it, and it landed a couple feet from the hole, went up to 3 feet, and that was a huge bonus to go from a couple back to just one back.”
Berger overshot the green on the 184-yard par-3 17th and narrowly missed a seven-foot par putt. His impressive up-and-down for par from 70 yards on the 18th, after laying up from the right rough, could have swung momentum his way to remain tied with Bhatia. However, another errant tee shot on the 18th in the playoff ultimately handed Bhatia the decisive advantage and victory. This marked the first playoff at Bay Hill since Tim Herron defeated Tom Lehman in 1999.
Bhatia’s previous wins also came in one-hole playoffs: he bested Patrick Rodgers at the 2023 Barracuda Championship and Denny McCarthy at the 2024 Valero Texas Open. Berger, conversely, holds a playoff record of one win and three losses.
“I’m proud of myself,” Berger reflected. “Obviously it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that.”
Scheffler Finishes Tied for 24th
World No. 1 and two-time Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Scottie Scheffler posted four rounds in the 70s, concluding with a 1-over 73, to tie for 24th at 2 under par. This marked his first finish outside the top 20 since the 2025 WM Phoenix Open (T25). Scheffler has not finished outside the top 25 since the 2024 BMW Championship (T33).
Cameron Young and Ludvig Aberg shared third place at 12 under, securing their first top-5 finishes of the year. Collin Morikawa finished alone in fifth at 11 under.
McIlroy’s Participation in The Players Questionable
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after the second round due to back spasms. The reigning Players champion stated he is undergoing treatment at his home in South Florida and does not plan to arrive in Ponte Vedra until Wednesday.
Like McIlroy, Scheffler is a two-time winner of The Players and holds the unique distinction of being the only golfer to win it consecutively. Bhatia is also part of the elite field for The Players, alongside second-year Tour player Ricky Castillo, who recently claimed his first career title by winning the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open on Sunday.
