Russell Henley defeated Colin Morikawa by one shot to win his fifth PGA Tour title. This is Henley’s first win since the World Wide Technology Championship in 2022.
On Thursday, the players not only had to deal with the already difficult Bay Hill, but also harsh weather. The cold and strong winds along with the thick rough and tough greens challenged the field. 14 players in the field broke par on Friday and only five of them broke 70. Wyndham Clark was one of them, and he held the lead after the first round with a score of 5-under 67.
Shane Lowry took the lead after two rounds with a 67 on Friday. Jason Day had the round of the day, shooting an 8-under 64. For Day, this was his lowest score in 41 rounds played at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He became the first player since 2021 to shoot 64 or better at Bay Hill since Keegan Bradley did it in 2021.
Morikawa took a one-shot lead over Henley heading into Sunday’s final round. While the other golfers were making mistakes, Morikawa went 40 straight holes without a bogey or worse. Michael Kim jumped to a tie for fifth after a round of 67 that was highlighted by two eagles on the 12th and 16th holes.
Heading into the final round, Morikawa was looking for his first win since the 2023 Zozo Championship. He extended his lead to two after a birdie on the opening hole. A bogey on the third hole and birdie on the fifth hole gave him a front nine score of 35 and the lead by three strokes. Standing on the 15th tee, his lead was down to one after bogeying the 14th hole while Henley birdied the hole.
The 16th hole is where the momentum shifted to Henley. He hit his second shot from 192 yards to just off the right side of the green. His perfectly played chip shot rolled across the green, hit the flag and fell into the cup for an eagle and a one-shot lead. Two pars on the final two holes and Henley returned to the winner’s circle for the fifth time in his career.
“I was just so nervous. I can’t breathe right now, it’s so hard and difficult around this place. I just tried to stay really tough this week,” Henley said after the win.
Next week, the PGA Tour heads to TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship. Scottie Scheffler will try to win this event for the third year in a row.
