Sunday evening concluded the infamous Arnold Palmer Invitational, crowning a new champion in Russel Henley. The evening found itself putting on a printing head to head showdown, between Henley and Collin Morikawa. It came down to a clutch shot for eagle on the par-5 16th hole, giving him the lead over Morikawa and never letting go. The pro since 2011, grabbed his fifth career victory and first of this 2025 season of play. He was able to shoot a two-under 70 resulting in 11 under overall, and a nerve wracking one shot victory over Morikawa. Ending it even better with the $4 million payout for this signature event win.
The Big Payout At Bay Hill
Henley was the big name on Sunday evening and deservingly so, pulling off a big time victory. While also taking home some life changing money, an opportunity a handful of others were able to accomplish. Morikawa was awarded $2.2 million for his second place finish, Corey Connors in third place with $1.4 million, and Michael Kim with $1 million for fourth place. The top four at Bay Hill were all able to say they were taking home at least $1 million in winnings, successful in many ways than one.
On the other hand, come a number of other athletes who tied for placing and payouts. The numbers fluctuate depending on where you were able to place outside of the top four, with fifth place taking home $800,000 in earrings. Whereas, those like J.T. Potson and Eric Cole took home $51,500 for finishing in 50th place. One plus despite not putting on the best performance, is the chance to still take home some deserving cash. With the next event to take place being The Players Championship, many will have another chance for a big payday similar to Henley.
What’s Next For The Bulldog?
The University of Georgia graduate has now moved up to No. 7 in the world with this victory at Bay Hill. With a target on his back going into the next signature events, Henley will be coming off a high and looking to keep it rolling. This marks his biggest win yet, despite victories at the World Wide Technology Championship and the Sony Open. A tough win for Henley according to reports, but one he scratched and clawed at for the win.
“It’s unbelievable,” Henley said. “Hats off to Collin, he played great today, he played super steady, but sometimes golf is just mean like that.”
As of now, Henley is lacing up to compete at the upcoming Players Championship with another deep field. It will be an uphill battle for the five time PGA Tour event winner, needing an early hot start. Repressing the infamous Arnold Palmer with his red cardigan during the press conference, Henley put his next steps into perspective.
“It’s so difficult to even put yourself in position to win a tournament on this PGA Tour,” Henley said. “I haven’t put a lot of pressure on myself to win, just try and knock on the door as much as I can.”
The Players Championship will take place starting March 13th, featuring some of the best and most recent event winners in Henley.
Main Photo Credit: © Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
