Akshay Bhatia produced a stunning back-nine comeback to snatch victory from Daniel Berger in a dramatic finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
Berger clinched a wire-to-wire victory and charged into pole position to claim his first PGA Tour win since 2021, with the American maintaining a four-shot lead with nine holes to play at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
Bhatia had an extra shot on the turn, but got back in contention with four straight birdies starting at the 10th and a stunning eagle on the par-5 16th to pull Berger level when he made bogey on the next hole.
Daniel Berger narrowly missed out on his first PGA Tour win since February 2021.
Both recorded par at the end to finish at 15 under par and force the signature event into the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Here, Berger made bogey, allowing Bhatia to complete his third PGA Tour title with a two-putt par.
Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg finished three strokes back in a tie for third with Cameron Young, while Collin Morikawa finished fifth ahead of Sahith Theegala and Russell Henley.
How Bhatia Persecuted Berger in Bay Hill Thriller
Berger had a one-shot lead over Bhatia in the final round and extended the lead with a 6-foot birdie on the par-4 first hole. His playing partner made bogey after finding the cart path on a sloppy second shot.
The overnight leader failed to get up and down to save par on the par-3 second hole, but joined Bhatia to take advantage on the par-5 fourth, and Berger was three clear when Bhatia found water and made another bogey as he approached the par-5 sixth.
Berger shot 70 with 5 birdies and 3 bogeys in the final round.
Berger holed an 8-footer on the ninth for his third birdie of the round and took the lead heading into turn four, while Bhatia closed the front nine with a bogey but made a shot in the next round to join the group in a tie for second.
Bhatia holed from about 60 feet for a birdie on the 11th and joined Berger on the next par-5, and on a two-shot swing on the 13th, Bhatia recorded his fourth straight birdie as Berger scrambled for bogey after being stuck in a greenside bunker.
Berger’s lead was doubled when Bhatia missed bogey from 8 feet on the 15th, but the 24-year-old responded with a stunning iron on the next par 5 to set up a 5-foot eagle and get back within 1.
Berger’s birdie on the 16th hole was canceled out when he failed to save par on the seventh hole the next time around and Berger had to come up from 15 feet out of the fairway and on the final par 4 to extend the contest.
Both players returned to the par-4 18th for the playoffs, with Berger three-putting from over 100 feet and Bhatia finding the green and two-putting for the winning par.
“Everyone knows that when you come to Bay Hill, you’re going to be tested and you’re going to be playing one of the most difficult golf courses,” Bhatia explained. “It’s really awesome to be successful and I can’t thank you enough for the tournament.”
All three of Bhatia’s PGA Tour wins have come in the playoffs.
Berger qualified for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale this July after finishing second. Bhatia has already taken the field and Berger remains the highest-ranked finisher yet to be exempted.
“I’m proud of myself,” Berger said. “Obviously it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I would be ecstatic if they told me I would have a chance to beat Bay Hill on the 18th hole earlier this week.
“There are a lot of positives and a lot to learn. I think my game is sharp. I just need to clean up a few things here and there. It’s hard to win. I think we did a good job and a shot here and there made the difference.”
England’s Harry Hall shot a 2-under 70 to tie for 9th, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished in a tie for 24th, missing the top 10 in back-to-back PGA Tour events for the first time in a year.
Scottie Scheffler will be looking to win The Players for a third time, live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour is in Florida for the Players’ flagship event, TPC Sawgrass, where Rory McIlroy returns as the defending champion and Scheffler is looking for his third win in four years.
Live build-up coverage will be on Sky Sports Golf from 1pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 24-hour tournament coverage starting at 11.30am on Thursday. Stream DP World Tour and more without a contract.
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