Golf Network News
Sunday 8 March 2026PGA TourYear in Review
Bhatia wins Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida · Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 March 2026 · Akshay Bhatia’s win no. 3 on the PGA Tour · purse $20,000,000 USD · Mastercard · third round completed Sunday morning before the final round
The headline is set by GNN from the record. Reports from the papers of the day are below as they are found.
The weather
11 h 36 m
of daylight on the final day, the sun 56° up at noon, and that night a waning gibbous moon (computed from the date and the place).
- R129°/19°C · wind 16 km/h ESE, gusts 32 · 1.7 mm rainERA5 reanalysis at the course Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis
- R229°/20°C · wind 16 km/h ESE, gusts 32 · 0.5 mm rainERA5 reanalysis at the course Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis
- R328°/19°C · wind 16 km/h ESE, gusts 34 · 1.9 mm rainERA5 reanalysis at the course Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis
- R428°/20°C · wind 11 km/h S, gusts 24 · 0 mm rainERA5 reanalysis at the course Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis
The name over time
Not yet traced: its earlier names, sponsors and courses come with research.
The ones it got away from
- Daniel Berger USA · 273led by four at the turn, lost the lead with a missed 7-foot par putt at 17, forced a playoff with a par at 18, then missed a 7-foot par putt on the first extra hole Akshay Bhatia has a charge that would make Arnie proud (AP, via CBS Sports)
72 started · cut +2, 52 made it
Same week
PGA Tour event
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida
5 of 5 researched
Winner
Akshay Bhatia
Runner-up not yet researched.
From the papers
ASAP Sports (interview transcript)
8 March 2026
It was a perfect 6-iron. Joe said, you know, Just hit one of the best 6-irons of your life right here. And I did. I pushed it, you know, the professional push, as we call it
ASAP Sports (interview transcript)
8 March 2026
I heard a lot of people say, you know, McDonald's or whatever. But, yeah, it's part of the game.
ASAP Sports (interview transcript)
8 March 2026
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.
Top 10
| Pos | Player | Rounds | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akshay Bhatia | 70 · 66 · 68 · 69 | 273 | −15 |
| 2 | Daniel Berger | 63 · 68 · 72 · 70 | 273 | −15 |
| T3 | Ludvig Åberg | 66 · 71 · 72 · 67 | 276 | −12 |
| T3 | Cameron Young | 67 · 73 · 67 · 69 | 276 | −12 |
| 5 | Collin Morikawa | 66 · 71 · 70 · 70 | 277 | −11 |
| T6 | Sahith Theegala | 70 · 67 · 75 · 66 | 278 | −10 |
| T6 | Russell Henley | 70 · 69 · 71 · 68 | 278 | −10 |
| T6 | Min Woo Lee | 69 · 71 · 68 · 70 | 278 | −10 |
| T9 | Harry Hall | 73 · 69 · 68 · 70 | 280 | −8 |
| T9 | Rickie Fowler | 69 · 69 · 72 · 70 | 280 | −8 |
The golfer
born 2002-01-31, Northridge, California; USA; turned pro 2019; age 24 that week; tour wins to date: 3; majors to date: 0; world No. 39 that week (OWGR rank entering the week (rankBefore 39 -> rankAfter 19), OWGR player profile).
What’s in the bag
- Driver Callaway Rogue ST 8.5°, Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
- Fairway Wood TaylorMade Qi10 15°, Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
- Hybrid Callaway Apex UW '25 21°, Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
- Utility Iron Callaway X Forged UT 4, KBS $-Taper 125 S+
- Irons Callaway Apex TCB 5-PW, KBS $-Taper 125 S+
- Wedge Callaway Opus SP 50°, 54°, 60°, KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135 X
- Putter Odyssey Jailbird 380
- Ball Callaway Chrome Tour
verified for this week