{"id":541497,"date":"2026-03-15T07:04:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T07:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/541497\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T07:04:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T07:04:27","slug":"akshay-bhatia-rallies-from-5-behind-at-bay-hill-with-a-charge-that-surely-wouldve-made-arnie-proud-australian-golf-digest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/541497\/","title":{"rendered":"Akshay Bhatia rallies from 5 behind at Bay Hill with a charge that surely would\u2019ve made Arnie proud \u2013 Australian Golf Digest"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Photo: Mike Ehrmann]<\/p>\n

For nearly the duration of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Daniel Berger was in control and appeared headed for his first victory in five years. But a relentless Akshay Bhatia had other ideas. Like making a vintage Palmer charge.<\/p>\n

Playing with \u201canger\u201d on the back nine at Bay Hill Club, Bhatia rallied from a five-stroke deficit to force a sudden-death playoff against Berger. The lithe left-hander then sank a three-foot par putt on the first extra hole to win his third career PGA Tour title and first in a signature event. The victory made up for his stumble at the year\u2019s first signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finished T-6 after leading by two shots after 54 holes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo win this event, to win for Mr Palmer, for what he\u2019s done for this community, for this tournament \u2026 everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it\u2019s going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses,\u201d Bhatia said after his closing three-under 69 Sunday caught Berger at the tape at 15-under 273. \u201cTo succeed is really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took some cool play and a hot hand. Not to mention a hot head, to pull it off.<\/p>\n

Berger, who opened with a sterling 63 and led after each of the first three rounds, seemed destined to win until an early-morning two-shot swing set up Bhatia\u2019s day.<\/p>\n

Berger and Bhatia were among four players who returned at 8 a.m. Sunday to complete the third round. On the par-4 18th, Bhatia rolled in a 15-footer for birdie\u2014but only after it hung on the lip for several seconds before dropping. Berger then failed to save par from 10 feet. That left them separated by a stroke with Berger clinging to the top at 13-under 203.<\/p>\n

Give it a second\u2026 \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

Akshay Bhatia’s birdie putt drops after a moment on the edge to conclude the third round this morning.<\/p>\n

He heads into the afternoon one shot back of leader Daniel Berger @APInv<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/GTNqFcEUYL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

When the twosome soldiered out for the final round, Berger turned the tables with a six-foot birdie putt while Bhatia bogeyed from a fairway bunker. Bhatia looked cooked when he went out in two over 38 to Berger\u2019s 34 to fall five shots in arrears. A sloppy bogey at nine, when he missed a two-foot par putt, lit his fuse. The California native began roasting Bay Hill.<\/p>\n

He reeled off four straight birdies and once again climbed within a shot. Bhatia started by converting an eight-footer at the 10th and then ran home a monster 58-foot birdie from the back of the green at 11. \u201cThat switched the momentum,\u201d he said. He capped the run with eight and 10-footers at 12 and 13, respectively.<\/p>\n

Bhatia dropped a shot at 15 only to hit what he called \u201cthe best 6-iron of his life\u201d at the par-5 16th. The shot from 190 yards ended up three feet from the cup to set up an eagle.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe [Greiner, his caddie] said, \u2018Try to hit the best 6 iron of your life\u2019 and I did,\u201d Bhatia said. \u201cYeah, perfect number, the wind died, so it was one of those professional pushes. I wasn\u2019t trying to hit it at the flag, obviously, but for it to land soft and then have a kick in eagle is really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly 60 feet for birdie \ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n

Akshay Bhatia cuts into Daniel Berger’s lead with a long birdie at the 11th @APInv<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NBC pic.twitter.com\/MbMabNGaAt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Berger birdied the hole with a two-putt from 19 feet, but he needed three whacks with his putter from just off the green at 17. The bogey left them tied, and it remained tied at the end of regulation when Bhatia got up and down from just beyond the rocks at 18 while Berger sank a left-to-right slider for par from 14 feet after having to lay up short of the green in two. He pumped his first emphatically when it caught the right edge and fell in to salvage a closing 70.<\/p>\n

PAR SAVED \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n

Daniel Berger drains it from 13 feet out to send it to a playoff @APInv<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/OSOOueQxI9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The same putter betrayed Berger in the playoff. He found the left rough off the tee but managed to muscle his second shot onto the left front of the green, 106 feet from the cup. His first effort was quite good but his second, from seven feet, was a weak wave that veered right of the hole. Bhatia\u2019s birdie try from 27 feet meandered past the hole but he calmly sank the comebacker. He pumped his left fist several times and a few moments later let out a primal scream of joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it didn\u2019t 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,\u201d said Berger, who, despite the loss, garnered a consolation prize. Actually two. He earned the sole berth available this week into the 154th British Open at Royal Birkdale via the Open Qualifying Series. Furthermore, Berger moved from 61st to inside the top 50 in the world rankings, putting him on track to get into the Masters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from,\u201d added the 32-year-old Florida native who was making only his fourth start at Bay Hill. \u201cI think my game is sharp. Clean a few things up here and there. But it\u2019s tough to win. It\u2019s tough to battle. But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defending champion Russell Henley closed with a 68 to come in T-6 at 10-under 278.<\/p>\n

Bhatia, 24, earned $4 million after his third win, all in playoffs, in his 102nd career start. He was projected to rise from 39th in the world to inside the top 20. He owes the triumph to the smoke coming out his ears and some ethereal grace from his five year old niece Mia, who passed away in December. Bhatia dedicated the victory to her. She died on 13 December, the same day Bhatia married longtime girlfriend Presleigh Shultz.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was watching over me,\u201d Bhatia said.<\/p>\n

Maybe Arnie was, too.<\/p>\n

Wearing the red alpaca sweater that goes to the winner, Bhatia said he could feel the pull of Arnie\u2019s Army as he rallied down the stretch. He also was feeling the same vibe he had in closing out the inward nine in the third round, mostly because of that hot putter. Bhatia led the field in strokes gained\/putting at plus-10.605.<\/p>\n

\"2265021850\"\/<\/p>\n

[Photo: Icon Sportswire]<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pretty annoyed missing that putt on 9,\u201d Bhatia said. \u201cThat was just a mental mistake that you just can\u2019t make in big tournaments, big golf courses. So I went to 10 tee very angry. And I told Joe 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\u2019s just try and do that again. And you just never know in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result was an inward five-under 31 on the inward nine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, definitely played bold. I think that was a big thing that everyone knows of Mr. Palmer,\u201d he said. \u201cI could feel the energy and the buzz. It was awesome. I\u2019m very fortunate to win this tournament. I know the magnitude of this golf tournament, the winners here, obviously Tiger making all those putts, it was just, it was really special and I think the coolest part of today is just the fans, Arnie\u2019s Army was out there for me and it was really, really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said the man who won by running hot.<\/p>\n