Akshay Bhatia’s Sunday at Bay Hill started with a mistake so small it looked harmless and ended with the biggest win of his career, a $4 million payday, and the red cardigan that comes with it.
Bhatia won the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational after outlasting Daniel Berger on the first playoff hole at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. The two finished regulation tied at -15 under 273, and Bhatia’s par in the playoff was enough when Berger missed his par attempt.
The day turned early for Bhatia in the wrong direction. He missed a 30 inch par putt to fall five shots behind Sunday, but it lit the fuse for what came next. What followed was a back-nine rally that turned a signature event into a survival test.
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Bhatia leaned into a line associated with the tournament’s namesake: “You must play boldly to win.” He explained the mindset after the round. “Play bold — I think that was a big thing everyone knows of Mr. Palmer,” Bhatia said. “I could feel that energy and buzz. It was awesome. I’m very fortunate to win this tournament.”
The comeback was built in chunks. Bhatia started the back nine with four straight birdies, including one from just inside 60 feet on the 11th. He then produced the shot that flipped the tournament’s closing stretch on the par-5 16th: a 6-iron that nearly went in on the second bounce and set up a short eagle putt.
His caddie, Joe Greiner, delivered the kind of line that becomes part of the trophy story. Greiner told him, “Just try to hit the best 6 iron of your life.” Bhatia said the strike was exactly what he needed in the moment. “It was one of those professional pushes,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to aim at the flag.”
Berger, meanwhile, had controlled the tournament for long stretches. He built a four-shot lead at the turn and looked positioned to become the first wire-to-wire winner at Bay Hill in a decade. But the margin kept shrinking, and the finish turned messy in the way Bay Hill often does when someone starts throwing darts late. Berger three-putted the 17th to pull the two level heading to 18.
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On the 18th in regulation, Berger found thick rough and had to chip short of the green, while Bhatia flirted with greenside rocks and water before chipping close. Berger still forced extra holes by rolling in a 14-foot par putt to extend the day.
The playoff was not built for comfort either. Berger again pulled his drive into trouble and did well to muscle a 6-iron to the front edge of the green, 106 feet away. He rolled it to 7 feet, but his par putt was weak and missed below the cup. Bhatia played to the center of the green and two-putted from just inside 30 feet to close it out.
Afterward, Bhatia framed the win through the lens of the tournament’s host. “If he was up there watching, he’s probably pretty proud of how that finished,” Bhatia said. He added another basic truth about Bay Hill’s reputation: “Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it’s going to be a test.”
Berger didn’t dodge the sting, but he kept it simple. “It’s tough to win. It’s tough to battle,” Berger said. “But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference.”
Bhatia’s win was his third PGA Tour title, and all three have come in playoffs. This one carried extra weight as a $20 million signature event and a springboard into a major stretch that includes The Players Championship and the Masters.
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