Russell Henley leapfrogs into 1st with a timely eagle
Mar 9/2025 - RUSSELL HENLEY just pulled off a show-stopping performance to claim his fifth PGA TOUR win at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational! The final round was nothing short of electric, with HENLEY charging home at 5-under over his last seven holes to overcome a three-shot deficit and claim the title.
The real magic happened on the 16th hole, where HENLEY chipped in from over 50 feet for eagle, flipping a one-shot deficit into a one-shot lead. Then, on the 17th, he faced a tricky 44-footer for par and made a masterful lag putt to get within 5 feet, then sank the clutch putt to maintain his slim lead.
HENLEY finished at 11-under 277, edging COLLIN MORIKAWA by one stroke, and marking his first Signature Event win—his first victory since 2022, and along with it. a cool $4 million winner prize!
What makes this victory even sweeter is HENLEY'S resilience: despite ranking 168th in driving distance, his accuracy and smart play at Bay Hill—where long hitters often dominate—made all the difference. And to top it off, Henley celebrated his victory with his wife and three kids, making for an unforgettable family moment on the 18th green. What a way to win!
5 FUN GOLFER FACTS FROM THE 2025 ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL
This was HENLEY's 5th career PGA Tour title in his 296th start at the age of 35 years, 10 months and 25 days
HENLEY entered the week in a 3 way tie for most Top-10 finishes without a win since 2014 as he finally left that list with this win. The other two golfers tied for the top - SUNGJAE IM and none other than COLLIN MORIKAWA himself
With his finish at T11, SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER had the best showing for a title defense this year as he passed HIDEKI MATSUYAMA who finished T13 as the was attempting to defend his title at the 2025 Genesis Open
Some high fives need to be given to 2nd place finisher COLLIN MORIKAWA and his showing, and that's because the last two years he has played in this tournament, he missed the cut on both of them. Talk about a great comeback round
With the win HENLEY will move into the #7 spot on the Official World Golf Rankings, the first time he has cracked the Top 10 in his 10+ year and 296 starts. His previous best was at #12
BONUS FACT - The Marketing team at Titleist must be smiling today because both this weeks winner (HENLEY) and last weeks winner (HIGHSMITH) both won using the same driver and irons in their bags! The Titleist GT3 driver and the Titleist T100 irons!
4 FUN GOLFER FACTS ABOUT RUSSELL HENLEY
HENLEY not only played golf at the University of Georgia, he also spent some time studying as he majored in Consumer Economics. OK...maybe he did play a little golf because in 2010 he was awarded the Haskins Award given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer
Not to be outdone by last weeks winner, JOE HIGHSMITH, HENLEY is also an accomplished musician as he knows how to rock a guitar. He has also jumped on stage to jam with DARIUS RUCKER at some PGA Tour events
HENLEY'S wife, TEIL DUNCAN, is an established and professional painter known for her vibrant and abstract works of art
We all know athletes can be superstitious, and HENLEY is no different. One of his superstitions is to avoid discussing his scores before an upcoming round
