ORLANDO, Fla. — Daniel Berger stood 7 feet, 7 inches from the hole on Bay Hill’s famous 18th green. He swiped at his golf ball, and it trembled toward the hole.
Only 20 minutes earlier, the 32-year-old Berger stood twice that distance away from the same cup, needing to drain a slippery putt to force a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He watched that one try to dive beneath the hole but it grabbed the lower lip and curled in, Berger celebrating with a fist pump and some words toward the gallery.
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His heroics on the 18th green, however, were short lived.
Berger’s par putt in the playoff came up short, not having enough steam to once again trickle into the cup. His opponent, Akshay Bhatia, capped off an incredible come-from-behind effort with a 3 footer for par of his own to win the famous red cardigan sweater and leave Berger, searching for his first win since the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, empty handed after a week where he controlled the tournament until the last couple holes.
“I mean, I’m proud of myself,” Berger told Golf Channel after losing on the first playoff hole Sunday. “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.”
Akshay Bhatia, left, of the United States shakes hands with Daniel Berger of the United States after winning the tournament on the eighteenth green during the first playoff hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 2026.
With nine holes to go at Arnie’s Place, it seemed as if Berger was destined to cap off an incredible return story of his own. Dealing with numerous injuries since his last victory, Berger had dominated all week at Bay Hill, opening with 63 and controlling the lead throughout the entire tournament.
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That continued Sunday. He walked in a birdie putt on the par-4 ninth to move to 15 under and five shots ahead of Bhatia, his playing partner in the final round. He had one hand on the trophy. All Berger had to do was finish.
Bhatia, who had a historically great putting week at Bay Hill, fought back. He birdied Nos. 10-13 to get within a shot with five holes to play. His best was yet to come, however. After a bogey on the 15th, he nearly made an albatross on the 16th hole but converted the 3 footer for eagle. Berger kept his lead with a birdie of his own, but on the 17th, a bogey meant the duo marched to the 18th tied.
Berger’s tee shot in regulation sailed right into the rough. After a long conversation with caddie Josh Cassell, Berger decided to layup to 70 yards. His third landed 14 feet from the hole, and a fist pump capped off a stellar par to force a playoff.
In extra holes, Berger’s tee shot found the opposite rough, coming to rest near where the galleries had traversed the left side of the 18th all week. Bhatia hit the fairway, and Berger’s approach found the putting surface but was 106 feet from the hole. Bhatia had 30 feet.
Daniel Berger of the United States reacts after a putt on the eighteenth hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 2026 at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 08, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
Berger’s lag was a brilliant effort, coming to rest just short of 8 feet away. Bhatia hit it closer, giving himself 3 feet for par. That’s when Berger stepped in, but the stroke never had a chance. As it had slowly Sunday afternoon in the scorching sun, Berger’s chances fizzled and dried out.
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“I think my game is sharp,” Berger said. “Clean a few things up here and there. But it’s tough to win.”
If it’s any consolation prize, Berger did earn a spot in the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this summer thanks to his finish. It’ll be his sixth start in the championship, where he finished T-30 in 2025. Bhatia was already exempt.
Berger placed T-6 in the season-opening Sony Open and has had a mixed bag of results leading up to the Arnold Palmer. Even with the loss, Berger proved to many, likely himself, that he does still belong, even after everything he has gone through. Even Bhatia commented how amazing Berger played this week.
But sometimes, even amazing at Arnie’s Place isn’t good enough.
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“I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference,” Berger said.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Daniel Berger’s ‘amazing’ week ends with playoff loss at Arnold Palmer
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