Russell Henley snatches Arnold Palmer Invitational win after Collin Morikawa’s stumble
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Russell Henley being greeted by his wife Teil and daughters Ruth and Jane (right) after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MIAMI – Russell Henley fired a two-under 70 to snatch victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 9, conjuring a magical eagle in a late charge down the stretch to reel in Collin Morikawa.
The 35-year-old Henley bagged the fifth and biggest PGA Tour win of his career after erasing Morikawa’s three-shot lead over the final five holes at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida.
Henley’s closing two-under 70 left him on 11-under 277 for the tournament, with Morikawa’s final-round 72 putting him a stroke back.
After being congratulated by his watching wife and children on the 18th, Henley admitted he had been “unbelievably nervous” before sealing his win.
“I can’t breathe right now. It’s just so hard and difficult around this place,” he told NBC Sports.
“I just tried to hang tough and keep committing to every shot. This game is just so hard and that was unbelievably difficult.
“I’ve tried to just work really hard in all aspects of my game to try to put myself in position to win tournaments and compete at the highest possible level on the biggest and best courses. Just crazy that it happened like that. It’s just hard to take in.”
Henley, whose last tournament win came at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico in 2022, looked set for another near-miss with Morikawa seemingly in control after 13 holes.
However, Morikawa’s lead was slashed to one shot on the 14th, when he missed a difficult 12-foot putt for par, before Henley rolled in an awkward 10-foot birdie putt to complete a two-shot swing.
After the Americans both parred the 15th, Henley then edged ahead on the par-five 16th with a stroke of genius, chipping in for eagle from the back of the green to take the lead.
Morikawa had a birdie putt to reclaim a share of the lead but could not sink it, and the two men headed to the par-three 17th with Henley leading by one.
Both golfers missed long birdie putts but calmly drained their par putts to put Henley one shot clear with one to play. Morikawa made a challenging 10-foot putt on the final hole to leave Henley with a nervy four-footer to seal victory, which he duly rolled in.
The triumph – which earned Henley a cool US$4 million (S$5.3 million) winner’s cheque – was a handsome reward for the veteran’s doggedness, after a shaky start where he carded two bogeys inside the first six holes.
Henley described those two early blunders as “momentum killers”.
“I didn’t really feel like I had a great chance at that point, and Collin was just playing so steady, like he always does. So just to hang in there enough to give myself some looks is what I’ll take from this day,” Henley said.
Canada’s Corey Conners finished third on 279 after a closing 71, while American Michael Kim was fourth on 280 with a 69.
Further down the leaderboard, world No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished his preparations for the Players Championship this week with a 70 to finish tied for 11th on 284.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (72) was a further shot adrift in a three-way tie for 15th.
On the LPGA Tour, rookie Rio Takeda carded an eight-under 64 on March 9 to cruise to a six-stroke victory at the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island, China.
Takeda, 21, captured her second LPGA Tour title after recording a bogey-free round to finish at 17-under 271 at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. The Japanese native won her initial LPGA Tour title at the 2024 Toto Japan Classic following a six-hole sudden-death play-off as a non-tour member. Australian Minjee Lee (67) finished second on 277, one stroke ahead of Japan’s Ayaka Furue (68). AFP, REUTERS
