Pro Channels Arnie to Win Big

 👋 Hey Golf Fans,

Daniel Berger seemed destined to claim the Arnold Palmer Invitational title. But Akshay Bhatia summoned his inner Arnold Palmer to rewrite the script at crunch time. We’ll deep dive into Bay Hill drama, Spieth’s choice, Rahm’s recovery shot, and more.

Let’s get swinging…

Every year since 2017, the winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational have been draped in the late legend's colors with the signature red alpaca cardigan. This year, it belongs to Akshay Bhatia. He earned it by erasing a five-shot deficit to force the first playoff since 1999, and snatched the win straight from Daniel Berger.

This late charge à la Arnold Palmer would’ve made the King proud. It definitely made Bhatia’s family proud. He dedicated the victory to his late niece, Mia, who passed away at the age of five last December. Watch Bhatia’s emotional tribute to the little girl here.

In the final round, Bhatia handed Berger a five-shot cushion at the turn. But then he clawed back with four straight birdies, including a 60-footer on the 11th. Succumbed to a bogey on the 15th but answered that with an eagle on the 16th, trimming Berger's lead to one. After Berger stumbled on the 17th with a bogey, Bhatia saved par from near the rocks to force a playoff.

On the first playoff hole, Berger drove into trouble but managed to get within seven feet of the pin for par. He missed it for a bogey. Bhatia’s 27-foot birdie attempt faltered, but he held the nerve to save par for his third win on the Tour, all in playoffs. He also became the first since Tiger Woods to lead here in both SG: Around the Green and SG: Putting.

Puerto Rico Open: In the Tour's alternate event, Ricky Castillo fired a closing 5-under 67 for his maiden PGA Tour win, punching his ticket to his first major, the PGA Championship. Blades Brown, 18, blew his one-shot lead on 13 with a bunker-to-water shot, resulting in a triple bogey. He ended third, two back of runner-up Chandler Blanchet.

Find out why 200K+ engineers read The Code twice a week

Staying behind on tech trends can be a career killer.

But let’s face it, no one has hours to spare every week trying to stay updated.

That’s why over 200,000 engineers at companies like Google, Meta, and Apple read The Code twice a week.

Here’s why it works:

• No fluff, just signal – Learn the most important tech news delivered in just two short emails.

• Supercharge your skills – Get access to top research papers and resources that give you an edge in the industry.

• See the future first – Discover what’s next before it hits the mainstream, so you can lead, not follow.

Join 200,000+ engineers who read The Code to stay ahead of the curve.

Oh!!!: What will you do if you are presented with a pack of Half and Half Fruit Snacks? You’re given two choices. You can take it or double it for your friend. PGA Tour pros were given the same choice. Xander first. Fleetwood and Nick Taylor next. All three doubled it. Then came Jordan Spieth. Eight packs of gummies. You can’t guess what he did next. Watch it below.

Gorgeous: Jon Rahm’s tee shot on the 18th landed in the “jungle,” between thick trees. Rahm decided to punch it out from there. His club caught the creepers on the follow-through. Yet, guess where the ball ended up? We present to you the best recovery shot from the week.

Strange: In Bay Hill's third round, Harris English’s caddie, Eric Larson, was caught sneaking a peek at which club Scheffler used on the par-4 15th. Watch the moment that sparked a debate on social media. Some cried penalty. But no, it's totally legal.

Chaotic: The Australian Women’s Classic delivered this week’s wildest weather. Rain, wind, and every dark sky-born torment you can imagine. Those winds cruelly denied Meghan MacLaren a par-4 ace. Watch how the wind literally dragged it away from the pin.

Caught: What does a PGA Tour pro discuss with his caddie mid-round? Wind? Club? Pin location? None. They talk about that weird song stuck in their head. No kidding, hot mic picked up Ricky Castillo’s chat with his caddie. Listen and laugh.

With the Arnold Palmer Invitational ending, our Essentially Golf Prediction Challenge winner is finalized. The contest was tight, and we had to apply the tiebreaker to determine the final five. So, congratulations to the top five finishers.

A quick snapshot of the prediction challenge:

• Favorite: 46.5% of you thought Scottie would win. He finished outside the top 20 (T24) for the first time since the 2025 WMPO.

• Tough: 89.8% of you said the record of the lowest round (62) won’t get broken. Berger came close at 63.

• Impossible: 99% of you said Tiger’s 11-shot victory margin will stand. It did.

• Longshot: Only 13% of you predicted the tournament would go to a playoff.

• Close: 91.8% of you said there won’t be a wire-to-wire winner. Berger led after each round but could not win.

The top performer will take home a special reward. And to everyone else who played along and shared your picks with us, thanks for being part of the ride. We'll have more such challenges coming up soon. Stay tuned…

James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational: Zach Johnson became the 22nd golfer to snag a victory in his Senior Tour debut. Johnson sealed the four-shot triumph with a final-round 69. The best part? Watch below how pumped ZJ’s daughter was to see her father win.

LIV Golf Hong Kong: Jon Rahm shattered a 539-day trophy drought by winning the LIV Golf Hong Kong, firing a final-round 64 to win by three shots. The Spaniard admitted he was relieved, and you will certainly see that from the way he hugged his caddie afterward.

Blue Bay LPGA: Mi Hyang Lee is back in the winner’s circle after a whopping 3,144 days. She closed with a 1-over 73 to bag her third LPGA title and first in 9 years. Catch that look of relief on her face when she realized she was going to win.

Joburg Open: Dan Bradbury hit a clutch chip on the 18th and a tap-in par to win his second Joburg Open title. Hennie du Plessis (4th) held a three-shot lead until he stumbled on the back nine. Casey Jarvis (T2) missed a birdie on the 18th. Brandon Robinson-Thompson (T2) three-putted for bogey on the 18th as well. Check out the late drama here.

Australian Women’s Classic: Kelsey Bennett stormed to a four-shot victory on home soil, claiming her maiden LET title and punching her ticket to the AIG Women’s Open. The champagne shower will bring a wide smile to your face.

Top Names Missing From the 2026 Masters Field →

Lexi Thompson Ties the Knot With Longtime Boyfriend →

PGA Tour Considers Adding LIV Pros to The Players Field: Report →

Imagine this: you are ready to putt, but the ball rolls back or moves to a new spot due to wind or gravity. If you've endured this, you'll sympathize with this pro, whose perfectly resting ball rolled back from the green straight into the wrong hole. So, what’s the next move?

• Rule: If natural forces cause your ball to move at rest, you face no penalty. However, the ball must be played from its new spot. Look at this pro, who got incredibly lucky as his ball moved closer to the hole.

• Exception: If your ball moves after you've lifted and replaced it on the putting green, put it back on its original spot. The USGA guideline says it doesn’t matter what caused it to move.

• Relief: Suppose the ball rolls back to a sprinkler head near the green and you intend to putt from there. Then you need to check if the Model Local Rule F-5 is being used. If it is, you might get a free relief, but there is a catch. Check out this USGA explainer to find out.

Richard Bland has faced worse, though. One time, his ball was on the green, only for a squirrel to roll it around, as you can see here. So, what do you do? We’ve explained below.

Golf Rules You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Essentially Golf brings you handpicked, well-thought-out, and not-to-be-missed recommendations to make your weekend more fun.

🎥 Watch — Grant Horvat plays against the world’s no. 1 small golfer.

🛍 Buy — W&P Microwave Popper Maker is ideal for a family night.

🏌️Gear Up — Snapback Cap is perfect for your golfer friend.

🤌 Unwind — Godfather is made with Scotch whisky and amaretto liqueur.

🔔Follow — Aimee Cho, an LPGA Class A TPI-certified golf coach.

Thank you for reading the latest edition of Essentially Golf.

As always, we appreciate your honest feedback. So please tell us…

Never miss out on any more fresh Essentially Golf updates. Just Click Here!