Latest News About Arnold Palmer Invitational

Here’s the latest on the Arnold Palmer Invitational:

• Akshay Bhatia won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in 2026, forcing a sudden-death playoff to secure his third career win at Bay Hill. This result came after a late surge and tight final round.[1][2]
• Rory McIlroy withdrew from the event due to back spasms during the tournament, affecting the field and the race for the title.[1]
• Weather and schedule updates affected play across the tournament, including delays and suspensions in the third round due to heavy rain and darkness, with final-round tee times adjusted accordingly.[5]

If you’d like, I can pull the official event site’s recap for official quotes and tee times, or summarize key leaderboard movements from the final two rounds. Additionally, I can set up a quick live briefing if you want ongoing updates during the rest of the PGA Tour season. Citations: Akshay Bhatia win and Berger’s hold noted on the event site; McIlroy withdrawal reported in news summaries; weather delays documented by PGA Tour coverage.[2][5][1]