Akshay Bhatia had an incredible back nine fightback to snatch victory from Daniel Berger with a dramatic finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
Berger took pole position and held a four-stroke lead with nine holes left to play at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, closing out a wire-to-wire victory and looking like he was on his way to his first PGA Tour win since 2021.
Bhatia trailed by another shot at the turn, but got back into contention with four straight birdies starting at the 10th, and when Berger bogeyed the next hole, he made a stunning eagle on the par-5 16th to tie the score.
Daniel Berger narrowly misses out on his first PGA Tour win since February 2021
Both players made par in the end to finish at 15 under, sending the signature event to its first playoff since 1999, where Berger bogeyed and Battier made a two-putt par to win his third PGA Tour title.
Sweden’s Ludwig Oberg finished in a tie for third place with Cameron Young, three strokes behind, while Collin Morikawa finished fifth ahead of Saheeth Segala and Russell Henry.
How Bhatia defeated Berger in the Bay Hill thriller
Berger entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Bhatia, extending his lead with a 6-foot birdie on the first par-4, but his partner found the cart course on a wayward second shot and bogeyed him.
The night’s leader couldn’t get up or down to save par on the par-3 second, but he joined Bhatia on the par-5 fourth, Berger also had a three-place lead, and on the par-5 sixth, Bhatia found water on his approach for another bogey.
Berger had a final round of 70 with five birdies and three bogeys.
Berger holed in from 8 feet on No. 9 for his third birdie of the round before reaching Turn 4, while Bhatia bogeyed the front nine but picked up a shot on his next shot to rejoin the group in a tie for second.
Bhatia holed in from about 60 feet on the 11th for a birdie, then joined Berger for a birdie on the next par-5. Then, on the 13th, Berger took a two-shot swing into a greenside bunker and scrambled for bogey, but Bhatia made four consecutive birdies.
Berger’s lead doubled when Bhatia missed from 8 feet for bogey on the 15th, but the 24-year-old responded with a nice iron on the next par-5 for a 5-foot eagle to bring him back within one.
Berger’s birdie on the 16th was canceled when he couldn’t save par from the seventh on the next hole, and Berger had to go up and down the fairway and hole in from 15 feet on the final par-4 to extend the contest.
Both players returned to the par-4 18th for the playoff, and Berger three-putted from over 100 feet, but missed his second shot from around 8 feet, and Bhatia hit par and two-putted for the winning par.
“We all know that when you come to Bay Hill, it’s a challenge and you’re going to be playing on one of the most difficult golf courses,” Bhatia explained. “It’s really great to be successful and I can’t thank the tournament enough.”
All three of Batia’s PGA Tour wins have come in playoffs.
Berger qualified for the 154th British Open to be held at Royal Birkdale in July with his runner-up finish, while Bhatia has already qualified, making Berger the highest non-exempt finisher.
“I’m proud of myself,” Berger said. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way I expected, but if you told me at the beginning of the week that I had a chance to win at Bay Hill on the 18th hole, I would have been over the moon.”
“There are a lot of positives and a lot to learn. I think my game is sharp, but I just need to fix a few things here and there. It’s tough to win. I feel like I did a good job and a shot here or there was the difference.”
England’s Harry Hall shot a 2-under 70 to finish in a tie for 9th place, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished in a tie for 24th place, marking the first time in a year that he finished outside the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour tournaments.
Scottie Scheffler will aim for his third win at The Players, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour will be in Florida for its flagship event, The Players at TPC Sawgrass, with Rory McIlroy returning as defending champion and Scheffler seeking his third victory in four years.
There will be live coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with 24-hour tournament coverage starting at 11:30am on Thursdays. Stream DP World Tour and more without a contract.
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