Akshay Bhatia rallies from 5 back at Bay Hill with a late charge that surely would’ve made Arnie proud

ORLANDO — 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.

Playing with “anger” 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’s first signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finished T-6 after leading by two shots after 54 holes.

“To win this event, to win for Mr. Palmer, for what he's done for this community, for this tournament … everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it's going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses,” Bhatia said after his closing three-under 69 Sunday caught Berger at the tape at 15-under 273. “To succeed is really cool.”

It took some cool play and a hot hand—not to mention a hot head—to pull it off.

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’s day.

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—but 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.

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’s 34 to fall five shots in arrears, but a sloppy bogey at nine, when he missed a two-foot par putt, lit his fuse and the California native began roasting Bay Hill.

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. “That switched the momentum,” he said. He capped the run with eight and 10-footers at 12 and 13, respectively.

Bhatia dropped a shot at 15 only to hit what he called “the best 6-iron of his life” at the par-5 16th. The shot from 190 yards ended up three feet from the cup to set up eagle.

“Joe [Greiner, his caddie] said, ‘Try to hit the best 6-iron of your life’, and I did,” Bhatia said. “Yeah, perfect number, the wind died, and so, like, it was one of those professional pushes. I wasn't trying to hit it at the flag, obviously, but for it to land soft and then have a kick-in eagle is really nice.”

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.

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’s 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.

“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,” 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.

“So, a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from,” added the 32-year-old Florida native who was making only his fourth start at Bay Hill. “I think my game is sharp. Clean a few things up here and there. But it's tough to win. It's tough to battle. But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference.”

Defending champion Russell Henley closed with a 68 to come in T-6 at 10-under 278.

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, and to whom Bhatia dedicated the victory. She died on December 13, the same day Bhatia married longtime girlfriend Presleigh Shultz.

“She was watching over me,” Bhatia said.

Maybe Arnie was, too.

Wearing the red alpaca sweater that goes to the winner, Bhatia said he could feel the pull of Arnie’s 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.

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“I was pretty annoyed missing that putt on 9,” Bhatia said. “That was just a mental mistake that you just can't 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's just try and do that again. And you just never know in this game.”

The result was an inward five-under 31 on the inward nine.

“I mean, definitely played bold. I think that was a big thing that everyone knows of Mr. Palmer,” he said. “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 making all those putts, it was just, it was really special and I think the coolest part of today is just the fans, Arnie's Army was out there for me and it was really, really cool.”

Said the man who won by running hot.