Akshay Bhatia produced a dazzling charge down the stretch to reel in Daniel Berger before snatching victory in a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Sunday. A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club &amp; Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole. Bhatia finished with a closing three-under-par 69, to finish tied on 15 under alongside Berger, who shot a final-round two-under-par 70 for an aggregate 273.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/f1-2026-george-russell-wins-australian-grand-prix-in-mercedes-1-2-finish-in-melbourne-1772949180800">F1 2026 | Russell wins Australian Grand Prix in Mercedes' 1-2 finish</a>The 24-year-old Bhatia had forced the playoff with an electrifying birdie spree over the back nine after trailing Berger by four shots at the turn.Bhatia had drifted off the pace with a bogey five on the par-four ninth, but responded to that setback with a brilliant run of four straight birdies to slice into Berger's lead.The highlight of that charge was a superb 57-foot birdie putt on the 11th, which he followed with birdies on the 12th and 13th.Berger's lead shrank to one shot after a bogey on the 13th, but he increased his lead to two strokes with three holes to play after Bhatia bogeyed the 15th.Once again though Bhatia conjured a response, this time with an eagle three on the par-five 16th, when he drilled his second shot to just under four feet for a simple tap in.Berger responded with a birdie and remained one shot clear with two to play, but his advantage evaporated with a bogey on 17 to leave it all square going to the last.A pair of pars sent it to a playoff and Bhatia immediately seized the initiative, following up a perfect tee shot to the middle of the fairway with a second to the center of the green.Berger subsequently three-putted for bogey while Bhatia coolly completed a par to seal victory.Bhatia said his bogey on the ninth had been the catalyst for his charge after the turn."I missed that putt on nine, that was just a lack of focus. And then I just played with some anger for those couple holes," he said."The putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum."Daniel played amazing. This game is so crazy, it's been crazy for these last couple weeks ... you just never know what can happen in this game," he added.Berger, who had been chasing a wire-to-wire victory after leading after each of the opening three rounds, took positives from his late defeat."I'm proud of myself," he said. "Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but 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."So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from."Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished tied for third alongside Cameron Young, three shots behind Bhatia and Berger on 12 under.Collin Morikawa was fifth on 11 under after a closing 70, while Shaith Theegala, Russell Henley and Australia’s Min Woo Lee were a further shot back on 10 under in a tie for sixth.

A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole.

Akshay Bhatia produced a dazzling charge down the stretch to reel in Daniel Berger before snatching victory in a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Sunday. A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole. Bhatia finished with a closing three-under-par 69, to finish tied on 15 under alongside Berger, who shot a final-round two-under-par 70 for an aggregate 273. Also Read - F1 2026 | Russell wins Australian Grand Prix in Mercedes' 1-2 finish The 24-year-old Bhatia had forced the playoff with an electrifying birdie spree over the back nine after trailing Berger by four shots at the turn. Bhatia had drifted off the pace with a bogey five on the par-four ninth, but responded to that setback with a brilliant run of four straight birdies to slice into Berger's lead. The highlight of that charge was a superb 57-foot birdie putt on the 11th, which he followed with birdies on the 12th and 13th. Berger's lead shrank to one shot after a bogey on the 13th, but he increased his lead to two strokes with three holes to play after Bhatia bogeyed the 15th. Once again though Bhatia conjured a response, this time with an eagle three on the par-five 16th, when he drilled his second shot to just under four feet for a simple tap in. Berger responded with a birdie and remained one shot clear with two to play, but his advantage evaporated with a bogey on 17 to leave it all square going to the last. A pair of pars sent it to a playoff and Bhatia immediately seized the initiative, following up a perfect tee shot to the middle of the fairway with a second to the center of the green. Berger subsequently three-putted for bogey while Bhatia coolly completed a par to seal victory. Bhatia said his bogey on the ninth had been the catalyst for his charge after the turn. "I missed that putt on nine, that was just a lack of focus. And then I just played with some anger for those couple holes," he said. "The putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me. That really switched my momentum. "Daniel played amazing. This game is so crazy, it's been crazy for these last couple weeks ... you just never know what can happen in this game," he added. Berger, who had been chasing a wire-to-wire victory after leading after each of the opening three rounds, took positives from his late defeat. "I'm proud of myself," he said. "Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but 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. "So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from." Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished tied for third alongside Cameron Young, three shots behind Bhatia and Berger on 12 under. Collin Morikawa was fifth on 11 under after a closing 70, while Shaith Theegala, Russell Henley and Australia’s Min Woo Lee were a further shot back on 10 under in a tie for sixth.

A gripping final-day duel at the Bay Hill Club &amp; Lodge in Orlando ended with Bhatia pocketing the third PGA Tour title of his career – all via playoffs -- on the first sudden death hole.

Akshay Bhatia wins Arnold Palmer Invitational via playoff for third PGA Tour title

Kurt Kitayama kept his cool in a nerve-shredding final round to clinch the first PGA Tour victory of his much-traveled career at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on Sunday.

The 30-year-old journeyman, who led by one at the start of the final round, held off a ferocious challenge from some of the biggest names in world golf to card an even-par 72 and complete a one-shot victory.

Kitayama's hopes of a maiden win appeared to have faded after a disastrous end to the front nine, when he took a triple-bogey seven to relinquish the lead.

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But the 46th-ranked California steadied the ship to stay in the hunt down the stretch, reeling off seven straight pars before sinking a 13-foot birdie putt at the 17th to reclaim top spot on the leaderboard on nine under.

Until that point, it looked as if the tournament was destined for a playoff, with big guns Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler both firmly in the hunt for the title.&nbsp;

No fewer than five players shared the lead at one stage with just a few holes remaining.

There was to be no denying victory to Kitayama however, who approached the 18th knowing that a par would be enough to hang on to his slender advantage -- and pocket a winner's cheque of $3.6 million.

His tee shot flew into the thick rough down the left hand side of the fairway on 18, but he blasted a second safely onto the green to leave himself two putts for victory.

He almost sealed it with his first putt, rolling a 47-footer to the very lip of the cup to roars from the packed galleries, before eventually tapping in for par.

<h2>Sweet dreams</h2>

"It was really hard. I'm going to sleep really well tonight. It's everything I kind of mentally prepared myself for," said Kitayama.

"I've always dreamed of winning on the Tour and to finally do it, it's pretty amazing."

The win was especially sweet for Kitayama, who finished as a runner-up three times in 2022.

Kitayama arrived on the PGA Tour after a challenging start to his career, playing on the developmental Web.com Tour with little success after turning professional in 2015 before moving to the Asian Tour in 2018.&nbsp;

He switched to the European Tour in 2019, where he has two won twice, before finally earning a PGA Tour card in 2021.

For long periods on Sunday it looked as if it was going to be another near-miss for the Californian, as other players began building up a head of steam down the stretch.

But as the tension mounted, player after player squandered opportunities to take the lead as putts refused to drop.

Northern Ireland star McIlroy just missed a birdie putt on the 18th that would have put him on nine under, while Scheffler missed a birdie putt on the 17th that could have put him in the leading pack.

McIlroy carded a two-under-par 70 to close, finishing tied for second on eight under alongside Harris English, &nbsp;who also shot a 70.

McIlroy looked to be ready to sweep to victory after starting the back nine with three birdies in his first four holes to move into the lead, before back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th checked his progress.&nbsp;

McIlroy later revealed he had not been aware he was in the lead after his birdies on the 12th and 13th -- and paid the price for an over-aggressive tee-shot on 14.

"As I was walking to the 14th green, I looked behind me at the scoreboard, and I was leading by one," McIlroy said. "If I had of known that, I wouldn't have tried to play the shot that I played on 14, which was unfortunate."&nbsp;

Although he recovered with a birdie on the 16th, the damage had been done.

Scheffler meanwhile finished in a four-way tie for fourth alongside Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and England’s Tyrell Hatton on seven under.

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Kurt Kitayama kept his cool in a nerve-shredding final round to clinch the first PGA Tour victory of his much-traveled career at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on Sunday.

Kurt Kitayama kept his cool in a nerve-shredding final round to clinch the first PGA Tour victory of his much-traveled career at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on Sunday. The 30-year-old journeyman, who led by one at the start of the final round, held off a ferocious challenge from some of the biggest names in world golf to card an even-par 72 and complete a one-shot victory. Kitayama's hopes of a maiden win appeared to have faded after a disastrous end to the front nine, when he took a triple-bogey seven to relinquish the lead. Golf: Tiger Woods not to take part in Players Championship But the 46th-ranked California steadied the ship to stay in the hunt down the stretch, reeling off seven straight pars before sinking a 13-foot birdie putt at the 17th to reclaim top spot on the leaderboard on nine under. Until that point, it looked as if the tournament was destined for a playoff, with big guns Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler both firmly in the hunt for the title. No fewer than five players shared the lead at one stage with just a few holes remaining. There was to be no denying victory to Kitayama however, who approached the 18th knowing that a par would be enough to hang on to his slender advantage -- and pocket a winner's cheque of $3.6 million. His tee shot flew into the thick rough down the left hand side of the fairway on 18, but he blasted a second safely onto the green to leave himself two putts for victory. He almost sealed it with his first putt, rolling a 47-footer to the very lip of the cup to roars from the packed galleries, before eventually tapping in for par. Sweet dreams "It was really hard. I'm going to sleep really well tonight. It's everything I kind of mentally prepared myself for," said Kitayama. "I've always dreamed of winning on the Tour and to finally do it, it's pretty amazing." The win was especially sweet for Kitayama, who finished as a runner-up three times in 2022. Kitayama arrived on the PGA Tour after a challenging start to his career, playing on the developmental Web.com Tour with little success after turning professional in 2015 before moving to the Asian Tour in 2018. He switched to the European Tour in 2019, where he has two won twice, before finally earning a PGA Tour card in 2021. For long periods on Sunday it looked as if it was going to be another near-miss for the Californian, as other players began building up a head of steam down the stretch. But as the tension mounted, player after player squandered opportunities to take the lead as putts refused to drop. Northern Ireland star McIlroy just missed a birdie putt on the 18th that would have put him on nine under, while Scheffler missed a birdie putt on the 17th that could have put him in the leading pack. McIlroy carded a two-under-par 70 to close, finishing tied for second on eight under alongside Harris English, who also shot a 70. McIlroy looked to be ready to sweep to victory after starting the back nine with three birdies in his first four holes to move into the lead, before back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th checked his progress. McIlroy later revealed he had not been aware he was in the lead after his birdies on the 12th and 13th -- and paid the price for an over-aggressive tee-shot on 14. "As I was walking to the 14th green, I looked behind me at the scoreboard, and I was leading by one," McIlroy said. "If I had of known that, I wouldn't have tried to play the shot that I played on 14, which was unfortunate." Although he recovered with a birdie on the 16th, the damage had been done. Scheffler meanwhile finished in a four-way tie for fourth alongside Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and England’s Tyrell Hatton on seven under. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Golf: Kurt Kitayama gets maiden PGA Tour win at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Patrick Reed has yet to string together four solid rounds of golf this year and would like to find some consistency before setting off on his Masters title defence next month.

Reed is fresh off a share of 47th place at The Players Championship and only eight days removed from a T-50 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but for the 28-year-old American there is no need to panic ahead of the April 11-14 Masters.

"I've put myself in position and have put some solid rounds together, I just haven't quite put four out there yet at the same time," Reed told a pre-Masters conference call on Monday.

"I feel like I'm really close. I feel like I've got the bag where I feel really comfortable and confident with it, and now it's just get some more reps (golf) underneath me and just kind of get ready for Augusta."

Reed took the golf world by storm with a one-shot victory at last year's Masters, where he spent much of the week at Augusta National Golf Club under he radar until storming into a two-shot lead after the second round.

The American led by three strokes going into the final round and turned back an early challenge from Rory McIlroy and then held off later charges from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to capture his first major title.

The Masters triumph was the most recent of Reed's six PGA Tour victories and while he knows a win going into the year's first major would be a welcome boost it is far from necessary.

"It definitely would help but, honestly, I feel like my mindset and state of mind that I'm in right now is better than it was last year at this point," said Reed.

"I've hit golf shots and have done things on the golf course that I feel a little bit more comfortable this year doing than I did last year at this point, but I just need to go out and continue playing to put four rounds together."

Reed will compete in the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, starting on Thursday, and then in next week's World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin before setting his sights on Augusta.

While Reed would love to snag a victory ahead of his Masters title defence he insists his main goal is simply to find more consistency in his game before making his way to Augusta.

"The preparations have been going really well. I feel like I am in as good form, if not a better place, than I was last year at this time," said Reed.

"The big thing is just to continue to build and grow on the things that we've been working on -- my coach and I and my team and I -- throughout the year, and just get ready and kind of get in playing shape for the tournaments coming up."

Patrick Reed has yet to string together four solid rounds of golf this year and would like to find some consistency before setting off on his Masters title defence next month.

Patrick Reed has yet to string together four solid rounds of golf this year and would like to find some consistency before setting off on his Masters title defence next month. Reed is fresh off a share of 47th place at The Players Championship and only eight days removed from a T-50 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but for the 28-year-old American there is no need to panic ahead of the April 11-14 Masters. "I've put myself in position and have put some solid rounds together, I just haven't quite put four out there yet at the same time," Reed told a pre-Masters conference call on Monday. "I feel like I'm really close. I feel like I've got the bag where I feel really comfortable and confident with it, and now it's just get some more reps (golf) underneath me and just kind of get ready for Augusta." Reed took the golf world by storm with a one-shot victory at last year's Masters, where he spent much of the week at Augusta National Golf Club under he radar until storming into a two-shot lead after the second round. The American led by three strokes going into the final round and turned back an early challenge from Rory McIlroy and then held off later charges from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to capture his first major title. The Masters triumph was the most recent of Reed's six PGA Tour victories and while he knows a win going into the year's first major would be a welcome boost it is far from necessary. "It definitely would help but, honestly, I feel like my mindset and state of mind that I'm in right now is better than it was last year at this point," said Reed. "I've hit golf shots and have done things on the golf course that I feel a little bit more comfortable this year doing than I did last year at this point, but I just need to go out and continue playing to put four rounds together." Reed will compete in the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, starting on Thursday, and then in next week's World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin before setting his sights on Augusta. While Reed would love to snag a victory ahead of his Masters title defence he insists his main goal is simply to find more consistency in his game before making his way to Augusta. "The preparations have been going really well. I feel like I am in as good form, if not a better place, than I was last year at this time," said Reed. "The big thing is just to continue to build and grow on the things that we've been working on -- my coach and I and my team and I -- throughout the year, and just get ready and kind of get in playing shape for the tournaments coming up."

Patrick Reed seeking consistency ahead of Masters title defence