PGA Tour Brunch | Arnold Palmer Inv
Final Round Coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer | + Puerto Rico
Suspension Summary: Play was suspended due to inclement weather (heavy rain) at 2:53pm ET and resumed at 3:59pm, a delay of 1 hour, 6 minutes. Play was suspended due to darkness at 6:30pm with only four players yet to complete their round. The third round will resume at 8:00am. Final-round tee times will run from approximately 9:30am to 1:50pm.
By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk
ORLANDO - After entering the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard with a five-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia, Daniel Berger (1st/-13 thru 15 holes) currently is two shots clear of Bhatia at the time of the suspension of play.
Should Berger maintain the outright lead at the end of the third round, he will seek to become the first wire-to-wire winner at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since Jason Day in 2016.
The last wire-to-wire winner on the PGA TOUR came earlier this season in Justin Rose at the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open.
Rory McIlory withdrew prior to the round and Austin Smotherman WD’d during the round with back injuries
Statement from McIlroy: “While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”
Please note: This weekend, PGA Tour Brunch has focused 99% of the coverage on the Arnold Palmer Invitational Signature event, but will add the leaderboard and a couple links to keep readers posted on the Puerto Rico Open.
Arnold Palmer Inv. Leaderboard | (Partial) 54 Holes
1 Daniel Berger 63 68 (E) -13 (thru 15)
2 Akshay Bhatia 70 66 (-3) -11 (thru 16)
T3 Sepp Straka 72 69 66 207 (-9)
T3 Cameron Young 67 73 67 207 (-9)
T3 Collin Morikawa 66 71 70 207 (-9)
6 Min Woo Lee 69 71 68 208 (-8)
Full Leaderboard (Partial) at 54 Holes: (link)
Puerto Rico Open | After 54 Holes
1 Ricky Castillo 68 68 68 204 (-12)
T2 John Parry 72 65 68 205 (-11)
T2 Matti Schmid 71 66 68 205 (-11)
T2 Blades Brown 69 67 69 205 (-11)
T2 Chandler Blanchet 64 67 74 205 (-11)
Full Leaderboard After 54 Holes: (link)
Arnold Palmer Invitational | Tournament Facts
COURSE: Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
YARDS/PAR: 7,466 yards/Par 72
ARCHITECTS: Dick Wilson/Joe Lee
PRIZE Money - Purse: $20,000,000 with Winner: $4,000,000
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Russell Henley
PAST RESULTS: (link)
OVERVIEW: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @APInv and @PuertoRicoOpen
Arnold Palmer Invitational | The Basics
The Tee Times for the final round at Bay Hill will run from 9:30am (EDT) to 1:45pm (EDT).
Weather: Today’s forecast in Orlando, Fla. calls for mostly sunny skies with temperatures ranging from 70-84 degrees. A 1% chance of rain increasing to 15% by 3:00pm (local). Winds at 4-8 mph.
Tournament Web Site: (link)
FedEx Cup Info: (link)
Puerto Rico’s Tee Times run from 6:45am to 12:45pm (EDT) - (1 hour time difference)
Puerto Rico Open Overview: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will post at 12 Noon (EDT) Monday.
Media Coverage of the PGA Tour | Sunday
Coverage on Sunday, March 8, 2025 - All Times Eastern (Puerto Rico + 1 hour)
9:00am-6pm - Arnold Palmer - ESPN+ Streaming
12:30pm-2:30pm - Arnold Palmer on Golf Channel
1:00pm-6:00pm - SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio
2:30pm-6:00pm - Arnold Palmer on Peacock Network and NBC Sports app
2:30pm-5:00pm - Puerto Rico Open on Golf Channel
How to Watch: (link)
Puerto Rico: (link)
What They’re Saying
Berger Keeps Lead at Arnold Palmer (PGATourCom)
Five Things to Know, Heading into Sunday (PGATourCom)
McIlroy WDs (Back Spasms) (ESPN)
How to Watch Final Round at Bay Hill today (PGATourCom)
CBS Sports HQ/Golf (CBSSports)
On This Day in Golf History
March 8, 2015 - Dustin Johnson shot a final round three-under par (69) to win the Cadillac Championship at Doral by one shot over J.B. Holmes. The victory for DJ came one month after he returned to PGA Tour after taking a six month absence from the tour for personal issues and recovery time. - (Courtesy of Randy Walker), Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putt
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