Patrick Maguire: Student Reporter
The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge had an incredible finish this weekend. Daniel Berger led the tournament for three straight days, trying to get his first victory in 5 years since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2021. With a 1 shot lead after the third round, the final round duel was set between Daniel Berger in the first-place position at -13 under par and Akshay Bhatia in second place at -12 under par. Entering the back nine, Daniel Berger looked destined for victory with a 5 shot lead, but Akshay Bhatia didn’t quit, though, getting back in contention with four straight birdies on the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th holes to get within one shot of Berger. Berger couldn’t get anything going, by only getting one birdie on the back nine’s 16th hole, while Akshay Bhatia hit a 6 iron to 5 feet away from the pin to convert an eagle 3 on the scorecard! Then on the par 3, 17th hole with Berger up by one shot, Bhatia made par, and Berger made bogey to have a two-way tie for the lead at -15 under par, heading to the last hole. On the 18th hole, both Bhatia and Berger made par, as they headed for a playoff to decide the winner. With a perfect tee shot by Bhatia on the first playoff hole, Berger hit his driver into the left rough, which set up a 3-putt bogey, while Bhatia hit a perfect drive in the fairway and two-putted for the par for victory. Akshay Bhatia got his first win of the 2026 season and had one of the best comebacks we have ever seen on the back nine, coming back from 5 shots to defeat Daniel Berger on the first playoff hole. This will be a tough defeat to deal with for Berger, but he looks destined to continue to play great golf and is looking much healthier as he has dealt with back issues the last two seasons on tour.
We are officially one month away from the Masters, as the Players Championship will begin this week, from Thursday, March 12th to Sunday, March 15th. Conditions look firm and fast once again for the third destination of the PGA Tour’s Florida swing. Temperatures are perfect between 70 and 80 degrees all week, and there will continue to be low scoring, with my prediction again having the winner be between -10 and -15 under par this week.
Here are my three picks for this week’s tournament:
- Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig looks back to playing some good golf again with a tie for 3rd finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. The putter was hot for Ludvig, shooting a -6 under in round 1 and a -5 under in round 4 last week. The runner-up at the Masters in 2025 seems to be making strides as he heats up for the first Major of the year in just a few weeks.
- Rory McIlroy
The defending Players’ champion is looking to continue his dominance at TPC Sawgrass. Rory is number 1 in strokes gained and 2nd in birdie average on the tour this year. Rory is trying to become the second player in PGA Tour history to win 3 Players Championships since Jack Nicklaus in 1978.
- Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala has been on a roll this year with just no wins to show for it. With three top 10s already this season, he looks destined to break through for his first victory of the 2026 season. With a scoring average of 68.82 this year and a rank of 30th on tour in putting, he looks to continue his success on the greens. Sahith just has to fix his driving as he is ranked 126th on tour in strokes gained driving off the tee. This would be a monster victory for his first signature event win on tour!
