Daniel Berger was left to rue blowing a big lead as Akshay Bhatia clinched the Arnold Palmer Invitational title.

Bhatia turned in a superb showing on the back nine to claim victory in Florida.

Berger, having led through the tournament, looked set to round off a fantastic performance and win his first PGA Tour title since 2021 as he went into the last nine holes with a four-shot lead.

Yet Bhatia nailed four successive birdies between the 10th and 13th holes, with an eagle on the 16th seeing him pull level as Berger bogeyed on the 17th.

With the pair managing par on the last hole to finish on 15 under, a play-off was needed to settle the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first time since 1999.

Berger's slump continued with a bogey, and Bhatia's par score saw him clinch his third PGA Tour title.

Conquering Arnie's place

Akshay Bhatia captures his third title @APInv! pic.twitter.com/efj34zbliH

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026

"Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill, it's going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses," Bhatia said.

"To succeed is really cool, and I can't thank the tournament enough."

Berger's consolation prize is a spot at The Open, though he looked to take the positives from the weekend.

"I'm proud of myself," Berger 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.

"A lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from. I think my game is sharp, just need to clean a few things up here and there. It's tough to win. I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference."

Ludvig Aberg finished tied for third along with Cameron Young. Colin Morikawa, Sahith Theegla and Russell Henley were tied for fifth.

It was a disappointing weekend for Scottie Scheffler, as the world number one finished T24, leaving him outside the top 10 in successive events.