ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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 2-under 70 at Bay Hill on Sunday for the biggest victory of his career.
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.
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In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, winner Takeda Rio of Japan celebrates during the awarding ceremony after the fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA golf tournament in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, Sunday March 9, 2025. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, winner Takeda Rio of Japan holds the trophy during the awarding ceremony after the fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA golf tournament in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, Sunday March 9, 2025. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP)
Captain Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC putts on the 18th green during the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)
First place individual champion, Captain Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC reacts to winning on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)
Russell Henley hits out of a bunker onto the 14th green during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Russell Henley holds the championship trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Russell Henley, right, is congratulated by his caddie on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Morikawa missed the green on the par-3 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 was more stunning than the par-5 16th hole, however.
Morikawa laid up from a fairway bunker and hit 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 and Morikawa, who closed with a 72, couldn’t catch him.
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 British Open this summer at Royal Portrush.
Henley finished at 11-under 277 and earned $4 million from the $20 million purse. It was his fifth career win on the PGA Tour, though never against a field this strong. The victory moves him to No. 7 in the world.
HONG KONG (AP) — Sergio Garcia made an early eagle to pull ahead and then produced four straight birdies around the turn, closing with a 7-under 63 for a three-shot victory over Dean Burmester at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
Garcia won his second LIV title, having won on home soil at Andalucia last year.
Burmester shot a 62, while 54-year-old Phil Mickelson had a 64 and finished alone in third place, four shots behind. Mickelson had his best finish in the Saudi-funded league, and his first top 10 since the third event last year in Jeddah.
Garcia and his Fireballs won the team competition.
SANYA, China (AP) — Rio Takeda of Japan shot 8-under 64 to win the Blue Bay LPGA by six shots over Minjee Lee of Australia for her second LPGA Tour title.
The 21-year-old Takeda finished on 17-under 271, starting with three rounds at 69. Lee closed with a 67 to finish on 277, with Ayaka Furue of Japan another shot back after a 68.
Takeda won her first LPGA title four months ago, taking the Toto Japan Classic in a six-hole sudden-death playoff.
Jeeno Thitikul, the LPGA’s No. 2-ranked player, closed with a 74 and was 13 strokes behind. It also was a disappointing tournament for Ruoning Yin of China. She is ranked No. 4 but finished with a 73 and was 19 shots off the winning pace.
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Karl Vilips of Australia ran off three straight birdies to break out of an unexpected duel and played his best golf down the stretch for an 8-under 64 to win the Puerto Rico Open, his first PGA Tour victory in just his third start as a pro.
The victory gets him into The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship in May, along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Vilips responded to a sensational charge by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who birdied six straight holes to start the back nine and closed with a 63. The Dane briefly took the lead when Vilips made a bogey on the 12th hole with a wedge from the fairway.
Vilips birdied the next three holes, including a nifty pitch to set up birdie on the par-5 14th hole to regain the lead, and a tee shot to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 15th.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Steven Alker won the Cologuard Classic for his ninth PGA Tour Champions title, beating Long Island club pro Jason Caron with a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff at La Paloma Country Club.
Alker and Caron each shot 5-under 66 to finish at 12-under 201. Alker played the back nine in 5 under with an eagle on the par-5 11th and birdies on Nos. 15-17. Caron birdied the final three holes of regulation.
Alker won the first playoff in the 11-year history of the event, moving the 53-year-old New Zealander into second place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings behind Ernie Els.
The 52-year-old Caron is the head pro at Mill River in Oyster Bay, New York. He’s winless in 13 career starts on the 50-and-over tour.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Scottish golfer Calum Hill made up an eight-shot deficit by closing with an 8-under 62 and then making par on the second playoff hole to outlast Jacques Kruyswijk and Shaun Norris and win the Joburg Open.
Norris, who had a four-shot lead and shot 70, hit into the water on the second extra hole. Kruyswijk (66) missed a 3-foot par putt that would have extended the playoff.
Hill won his second European tour title following his win in the 2021 Cazoo Classic.
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Logan McAllister won the Astara Chile Classic for his first Korn Ferry Tour title, shooting 63-64 over the weekend for a one-stroke victory over Davis Chatfield.
McAllister finished at 19-under 265 at Prince of Wales Country Club. The 25-year-old former Oklahoma player won in his 60th start of the tour.
Chatfield closed with a 66. Matthew Anderson (64) tied for third at 15 under with Hank Lebioda (65), Kensei Hirata (67) and Cole Hammer (71).
Laetitia Beck closed with a 5-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Sophia Schubert in the Atlantic Beach Classic on the Epson Tour. ... Tyler Hodge shot a 3-under 69 and held on for a one-shot victory over Kerry Mountcastle and Tim Hart in the New Zealand PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. ... Jeneath Wong of Malaysia birdied the last two holes for a 3-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Soomin Oh of South Korea in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Vietnam. ... The Australian WPGA Championship, co-sanctioned this year by the Ladies European Tour, was canceled because of the impending threat of Cyclone Alfred.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, winner Takeda Rio of Japan celebrates during the awarding ceremony after the fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA golf tournament in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, Sunday March 9, 2025. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, winner Takeda Rio of Japan holds the trophy during the awarding ceremony after the fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA golf tournament in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, Sunday March 9, 2025. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP)
Captain Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC putts on the 18th green during the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)
First place individual champion, Captain Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC reacts to winning on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in Fanling, Hong Kong. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)
Russell Henley hits out of a bunker onto the 14th green during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Russell Henley holds the championship trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Russell Henley, right, is congratulated by his caddie on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
