Russell Henley wins Arnold Palmer Invitational after beating Collin Morikawa with late charge at Bay Hill
Russell Henley delivered a late charge that would have made Arnold Palmer proud, capped off by chipping in for eagle on the 16th hole, to rally with a two-under 70 at Bay Hill for the biggest victory of his career on Sunday.
Henley trailed Collin Morikawa by three shots with five holes to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational when it all changed with a pair of two-shot swings.
Morikawa missed the green on the par-three 14th hole and took bogey, while Henley hit his tee shot to just inside 10 feet for birdie, cutting the deficit to one shot. Nothing, however, was more impressive than the par-five 16th hole.
Morikawa laid up from a fairway bunker and hit a wedge to 18 feet. Henley went through the green to thick rough and had to chip from more than 50 feet away down the slope to a front pin on a green that was yellow, looking as though it barely had any grass.
It was racing toward the hole when it smacked into the pin and dropped for eagle, giving him the lead for the first time all day when Morikawa failed to convert his birdie putt.
Henley finished with two pars as Morikawa, who closed with a 72, failed to catch him.
“I was just so nervous. I can’t breathe right now,” Henley told NBC off the 18th green. “It’s so hard and difficult around this place. I just tried to stay really tough this week.”
Rory McIlroy finished in a tie for 15th after carding a level-par round of 72, while Shane Lowry was seventh after a round of 70 having led the way earlier in the week.
Justin Rose went round in three-under to tie for eighth, ahead of Tommy Fleetwood in tied-11th after his impressive round of 68 left him four-under for the day.
Henley made it tough on himself at times, particularly when he made a mess of both par fives on the front nine to take bogey on each of them, and then starting the back nine with a bogey from the fairway.
But the 35-year-old from Georgia made up for it in a big way, particularly the chip-in for eagle that he called a good break. It is likely the ball would have run some 10 feet by the hole, if not run off the green.
“This game is just so hard,” he said.
It was another close call for Morikawa, the two-time major champion whose game is back in order and only now missing a first trophy in 17 months.
Morikawa began by holing a bunker shot for birdie on the first hole. He was in the lead all day, in control all day, in what had been a sleepy final round on a brutal test of fast, firm conditions. And then suddenly, he was not.
“Hats off to Collin. He played super steady,” Henley said. “Sometimes golf is just mean like that.”
Corey Conners opened with 15 straight pars, made one birdie in his round of 71, and finished two shots behind. The consolation prize for the Canadian was earning the one spot available this week in The Open this summer at Royal Portrush.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley set a tournament record with a 29 on the front nine, only to stall and match the tournament-low 64 to tie for fifth.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler did not make enough putts or enough birdies for the week. He closed with a 70 and tied 11th.
Scheffler now heads two hours up the road to TPC Sawgrass as the two-time defending champion at The Players Championship.
Henley finished at 11-under 277 and earned $4m from the $20m purse. It was his fifth career win on the PGA Tour, though never against a field this strong.
He was more than up to the task as his game has become consistently good over the last three years. The victory moves him to No 7 in the world and he looks the part of a top-10 player.
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