Arnold Palmer was famous for saying, “You must play boldly to win,” and Akshay Bhatia followed that script Sunday to perfection, mounting a stunning comeback to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a playoff.
Bhatia ignited his back-nine charge with four consecutive birdies. He nearly holed a 6-iron that zeroed in on the flag at the par-5 16th to set up an eagle. Then he outlasted Daniel Berger with a par on the first extra hole to claim victory at Bay Hill.
“You just never know what can happen in this game,” said Bhatia after closing with a 3-under 69 to win his third PGA Tour title — all of them in playoffs.
This was his biggest triumph yet, a $20 million signature event that catapults the 22-year-old into the top 20 in the world rankings. The win comes at the start of a crucial stretch in golf that builds toward the Masters next month.
Berger appeared to have this tournament locked up, walking with confidence and building a four-shot lead at the turn. But he lost his advantage after missing a 7-foot par putt on the 17th hole. He showed remarkable resilience just to force a playoff, scrambling for par from 70 yards on the final hole for a 70.
They finished tied at 15-under 273, setting up Bay Hill’s first playoff since 1999.
In the playoff, Berger pulled his drive into the right rough and did well to hammer a 6-iron to the front edge of the green, leaving himself 106 feet away. He lagged to 7 feet below the hole, but his par putt to extend the playoff lacked conviction and missed below the cup.
Bhatia, who had boldly challenged the traditional Sunday flag over water on the 18th in regulation, played more conservatively in the playoff. He aimed for the center of the green and took two putts from just inside 30 feet to secure the win and the $4 million prize.
“Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it’s going to be a test,” Bhatia said.
It certainly was. He trailed by five shots at the turn when he launched his remarkable comeback with four straight birdies, including a bomb from just inside 60 feet on the 11th hole. The momentum shifted dramatically at the 13th when Bhatia holed a 10-foot birdie putt while Berger faced trouble with a plugged lie in a bunker. Facing a shot to a firm green with water lurking, Berger wisely played back toward the fairway and salvaged a bogey, his lead shrinking to one shot.
The drama peaked on the par-5 16th, with the pin tucked dangerously close to the water on the left. Bhatia’s 6-iron soared high and true, nearly dropping in on the second bounce and settling just 3 feet away for eagle. Berger answered with a birdie to stay one ahead.
Bhatia revealed that caddie Joe Greiner had told him, “Just try to hit the best 6-iron of your life.”
“It was one of those professional pushes,” he admitted. “I wasn’t trying to aim at the flag.”
Berger, who has missed significant time in recent years with a back injury and then a broken finger suffered last August, was attempting to become Bay Hill’s first wire-to-wire winner in a decade.
“It’s tough to win. It’s tough to battle,” he said. “A shot here or there was the difference.”
That applies to Bhatia too. He and Berger had returned Sunday morning to complete their third round. Berger held a three-shot lead until the 18th hole, where he made bogey from the right rough while Bhatia made birdie when his 10-foot putt hung on the lip for just under 10 seconds before dropping.
Berger’s consolation prize, beyond the $2.2 million runner-up check, was earning a spot in the British Open. He also moved well into the top 40 in the world rankings, which should secure his return to the Masters next month.
Cameron Young, who spent winters in Orlando as a kid, played bogey-free for a 69 to tie for third with Ludvig Åberg (67).
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler took another double bogey on the 18th hole — his second in as many rounds and third double bogey in his last 19 holes at Bay Hill — for a 73. He tied for 24th, marking the first time since last year’s U.S. Open that he failed to break 70 in a tournament.
