Akshay Bhatia, after entering the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational one back of Daniel Berger, was reeling on Bay Hill’s front nine. Three bogeys, including a splashed approach on the par-5 6th, had him four back making the turn.
The tournament was anything but over, though.
Playing the back nine at 10 under par through the opening 54 holes, Bhatia was effusively confident in crunch time, especially on the greens. The 24-year-old carded four consecutive birdies, highlighted by a 57-foot birdie putt on No. 11. And, despite a bogey on No. 15, the 24-year-old nearly made an albatross a hole later from 190 yards en route to an eagle.
One back. Two to play (in regulation).
A bogey from Berger on the par-3 17th knotted them at 15 under heading to the 18th tee box. And both made par, with Bhatia’s approach saved from trickling into the water by the rough surrounding the green, stopping 18 feet below the hole. Then, Berger holed a 14-foot putt that almost lipped out.
So what ensued was 27 years in the making: a playoff at Bay Hill. The last time that happened was in 1999, when Tim Herron topped Tom Lehman on the second extra hole.
That was the longest any tournament on Tour had gone without a playoff. But that hiatus has come to an end. After a 73rd hole, Bhatia was the one donning the red cardigan and hoisting the trophy in the fading Florida sun.
“Definitely played bold,” said Bhatia, who shot a final-round 3-under 69. “I think that was a big thing that everyone knows of Mr. [Arnold] Palmer. And it was really cool. I could feel the energy and the buzz. It was awesome. I’m very fortunate to win this tournament. I know the magnitude of this golf tournament, the winners here, obviously Tiger [Woods, who won it a record eight times].”
MORE: Final results, payouts from Arnold Palmer Invitational
Opening the playoff, Berger failed to hit the par-4 18th’s fairway, just as he did on the 72nd hole. Only this time, it settled in the left rough, with a decent lie and a clean look to the diabolical green surrounded by water. Bhatia made it a tad easier on himself, plopping his drive down the middle and knocking his approach 27 feet. Berger hit his second shot to 99 feet before putting to 7 feet, but when the 32-year-old missed his par try, Bhatia made his from 3 feet for the win.
Coming up clutch in the playoff @APInv 🏆 pic.twitter.com/AptsZcuiWZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026
It’s his third PGA Tour title and first since the 2024 Valero Texas Open. All have come in playoffs.
Bhatia had been trending upward. After opening the season with two missed cuts, he has since posted results of T3, T6 and T16. And today, it all came together thanks in part to his magic on the greens. He gained over 10 strokes on the field with his putter, the best in the field. He also led the tournament in strokes-gained approach and total.
Berger, meanwhile, was looking to complete a ferocious comeback story. A top-20 player in the world five years ago, the four-time winner didn’t tee it up from June 2022 to January 2024 because of a bulging disk in his back.
Leading by as much as four on the back nine, he didn’t fumble the victory in the way Shane Lowry did last week at the Cognizant Classic. Berger shot 2 under on the front, but even par on the back. His biggest blunder was three-putting from 32 feet on No. 17, missing a 7-footer for par that would have had him leading by one on the last.
“I’m proud of myself,” said Berger, who shot a final-round 70. “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. So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from.”
Bhatia, though, simply snatched the title with a 5-under final nine holes. And winning seemed preposterous after he missed a 3-footer for par on No. 9 due to a lack of concentration.
“And then [after the bogey on No. 9] I played with some anger for those couple holes,” Bhatia said. “That putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum.”
Now, it appears the lefty is finally here. Yes, he’s won before, but not in an event like this, one of Tour’s most notable—and grueling.
A premier shot-maker and an affable personality, this only felt like a matter of time. Bhatia, who was the first high schooler to compete on a U.S. Walker Cup team and the top junior player in the country, bypassed a college career and turned pro at 17 years old, before eventually earning Tour status in 2023.
Ironically, he moved to Wake Forest, N.C., at age 10, just down the road from where Palmer once attended college. And Bhatia grew up playing Paschal Golf Course, a municipal with “weeds as their greens,” hearing stories of when Palmer used to tee it up there.
Bhatia may not have ever donned a Demon Deacon uniform like The King, but Palmer would have been proud of the fight Bhatia displayed to win his storied tournament.
“I know he was up there watching,” Bhatia said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Akshay Bhatia Grabs Biggest Win of Career, Wins Arnold Palmer Invitational Playoff.
