RUSSELL HENLEY SNATCHED victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill mounting 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.
Henley’s closing 70 left him on 11-under for the tournament, with Morikawa’s final-round 72 putting him on 10-under. Shane Lowry finished seventh on six-under and Rory McIlroy ended up in a tie for 15th on three-under.
Russell Henley holds the trophy after the final round. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Lowry’s seventh place finish came after a round of 70 today to leave him on six-under overall. It was a positive response after the setback of yesterday’s disappointing 76 that saw him slip back down the leaderboard after enjoying a two-shot advantage on Friday at the halfway mark.
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Lowry birdied his opening hole but handed that short back on the 2nd. Further birdies arrived on 5, 10, and 16, before a bogey on 17 saw him having to settle for a round of 70.
McIlroy’s final round of 72 saw him finish on three-under in a tie for 15th. Birdies on 10 and 12 moved McIlroy to five-under but he dropped shots on the 15th and 18th, having to settle for a final round of level par.
Rory McIlroy. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
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 through 13 holes. But 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 both players 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 men missed long birdie putts on 17, but calmly drained their par putts to leave Henley one shot clear with one to play.
Morikawa made a challenging 10-foot putt on 18 to leave Henley with a nervy four-footer to seal victory, which he duly rolled in.
Canada’s Corey Conners finished third on nine under after a closing 71, while Michael Kim was fourth on eight under with a three-under-par 69.
Further down the leaderboard, world number one Scottie Scheffler finished his preparations for The Players Championship next week with a two-under-par 70 to finish tied for 11th on four under.
Elsewhere on the Champions Tour, Padraig Harrington finished in a tie for sixth on nine-under, three shots off Jason Caron and Steven Alker, who went to a play-off in the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
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Henley wins Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill, Shane Lowry finishes seventh
LAST UPDATE | 9 Mar
RUSSELL HENLEY SNATCHED victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill mounting 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.
Henley’s closing 70 left him on 11-under for the tournament, with Morikawa’s final-round 72 putting him on 10-under. Shane Lowry finished seventh on six-under and Rory McIlroy ended up in a tie for 15th on three-under.
Lowry’s seventh place finish came after a round of 70 today to leave him on six-under overall. It was a positive response after the setback of yesterday’s disappointing 76 that saw him slip back down the leaderboard after enjoying a two-shot advantage on Friday at the halfway mark.
Lowry birdied his opening hole but handed that short back on the 2nd. Further birdies arrived on 5, 10, and 16, before a bogey on 17 saw him having to settle for a round of 70.
McIlroy’s final round of 72 saw him finish on three-under in a tie for 15th. Birdies on 10 and 12 moved McIlroy to five-under but he dropped shots on the 15th and 18th, having to settle for a final round of level par.
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 through 13 holes. But 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 both players 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 men missed long birdie putts on 17, but calmly drained their par putts to leave Henley one shot clear with one to play.
Morikawa made a challenging 10-foot putt on 18 to leave Henley with a nervy four-footer to seal victory, which he duly rolled in.
Canada’s Corey Conners finished third on nine under after a closing 71, while Michael Kim was fourth on eight under with a three-under-par 69.
Further down the leaderboard, world number one Scottie Scheffler finished his preparations for The Players Championship next week with a two-under-par 70 to finish tied for 11th on four under.
Elsewhere on the Champions Tour, Padraig Harrington finished in a tie for sixth on nine-under, three shots off Jason Caron and Steven Alker, who went to a play-off in the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
– © AFP 2025
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