The fourth signature event of the season has come and gone with the conclusion of the Arnold Palmer, and it was Russell Henley who saved his best for last as an eagle on the par 5 16th hole was enough to turn a one shot deficit into a one shot victory.
Henley lands the biggest title of his career, looks on track for debut Ryder Cup spot
There are golfers like Ludvig Aberg who are able to announce themselves straight away and rise to the very top of the game, and there are also players who need to adjust and their breakthrough can come much later into their playing careers, Russell Henley is the latter.
Somewhat of a veteran of the PGA Tour, Henley spent years as a solid PGA pro, picking up four titles and finding himself consistently at the right end of the leaderboards. Not the biggest hitter you will ever see, the one area where the American excels is with his iron play.
Usually right at the top of the statistical pile when it comes to strokes gained through approach, Henley is one of the best iron players in the game and is often giving himself plenty of opportunities to make birdies. Being that dialled in on such a frequent basis has seen Henley rise up the rankings and he is now seen as a legitimate threat at all of the game’s biggest tournaments.
Yet to land a tournament of note, that all changed at the Arnold Palmer. Starting the day two strokes behind playing partner and leader Collin Morikawa, Henley could only watch on as the two time major winner had stretched his lead to three strokes as the duo made the turn, but Henley wouldn’t be deterred.
With Morikawa’s putter going stone cold, Henley was able to take advantage. Two birdies on the 12th and 14th holes saw him reduce the deficit to one stroke and everything would change on the 16th.
An accessible par 5, Morikawa would find trouble off the tee and any chances of an eagle or birdie were more or less gone. With Henley in fine position, his approach to the green with his second shot was a little off to the right, finding the rough just around the green.
Needing to chip on for his third shot, Henley chose the perfect moment to hit the chip of his life as he saw the ball fall into the hole for an eagle, turning his one shot deficit into a one shot lead.
The pair would par 17 and it would all come down to the 18th. Morikawa would be first to play and he would miss the green long with his approach, whilst Henley would take the safe approach and leave himself needing to two putt from 40 feet to win the biggest title of his career.
Morikawa couldn’t make his birdie putt but sunk a testy six footer to make a par. The spotlight was now on Henley. Showing little signs of nerves, he cosied his first putt to within three feet of the hole and just had to knock in the putt to win.
Composing himself, he rattled the ball dead into the center and had announced himself as one of the best players in the world.
Henley was a bit of a surprise pick at the 2024 Presidents Cup but showed that team golf was to his liking as he won three points from a possible four. Impressing with his ability to stay calm under pressure, his relationship with world number one Scottie Scheffler is also incredibly useful as his calm and unflappable demeanour seems to bring the best out of the world number one.
Whilst there is still plenty of golf to be played before Keegan Bradley announces his team for Bethpage Black, the expectation at the moment is that Henley will be a part of that team.
He has proved himself in a team environment, now he has been able to bag one of the most prestigious titles on the PGA Tour, with major season just around the corner, few would be surprised if he were to take the final step and add major glory to his ever growing CV.
Back to the drawing board for Collin Morikawa
The one man who would have left Bay Hill this past Sunday with the bitter taste of defeat in their mouths would have been Collin Morikawa.
Of late the two time major winner has made a habit of finishing second and this was the second time he has had to fill the runners up spot at a signature event this season after just falling short at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier in the year.
Whilst in Hawaii he always had ground to make up on Hideki Matsuyama, in Florida the Arnold Palmer was very much his for the taking.
Leading through much of the tournament, some of the famous ball striking which had helped him win two of the first eight majors he competed in was on full display and he looked destined to land his biggest title in years.
Perhaps realising what he was about to do, Morikawa looked to have changed his approach on the back nine. Looking to preserve his lead rather than add to it, the birdies suddenly dried up and all he could do was watch on haplessly as Russel Henley slowly ate into his lead.
Seeing his three shot lead disappear into a one stroke deficit, Morikawa couldn’t then switch gears and was left wondering what might have been.
Without doubt one of the best talents on the PGA Tour, Morikawa will want to get back into the winner’s circle quickly. He is simply too good to not be competing for the game’s biggest titles.
However, finishing second and failing to close out leads is starting to become a trend and the longer that goes on, the harder it can be to shift. Many believe that Morikawa has the ability to be one of the game’s greats but he will need to get back to winning ways quickly if he is to fulfil all of his potential and not be one of the sport’s also rans.
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