The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard delivered a dramatic finish at Bay Hill, with Akshay Bhatia rallying from five shots back on Sunday to defeat Daniel Berger in a sudden-death playoff. Bhatia’s blazing back-nine charge – highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 16th – forced the playoff before he sealed the victory with a four-foot par putt on the first extra hole.
“You just never know what can happen in this game,” Bhatia said.
The win marked Bhatia’s third career PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2024 Valero Texas Open. Along with the prestigious title, Bhatia earned a massive $4 million winner’s share from the tournament’s $20 million purse, one of the largest payouts on the PGA Tour schedule.
Berger, who finished second, will take home $2.2 million and also earned a spot in The Open Championship (July 12-19).
“It’s tough to win. It’s tough to battle,” Berger said. “A shot here or there was the difference.”
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is hosted annually at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida. The tournament is one of the PGA Tour’s premier Signature Events, featuring a limited field and elevated prize money. In addition to the payday, the champion also receives the tournament’s iconic red cardigan, a tribute to Arnold Palmer’s signature look during his legendary playing career.
Bhatia finished 15-under par with rounds of 70-66-68-69.
2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational Prize Money Payouts
A significant portion of the earnings is distributed to the top finishers on the leaderboard. The winner earns 20% of the total purse, with payouts gradually decreasing throughout the top positions.
Here is a look at the prize money breakdown for the top finishers at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational:
1st: $4,000,000
2nd: $2,200,000
3rd: $1,400,000
4th: $1,000,000
5th: $840,000
6th: $760,000
7th: $700,000
8th: $646,000
9th: $600,000
10th: $556,000
11th: $514,000
12th: $472,000
13th: $430,000
14th: $389,000
15th: $369,000
16th: $349,000
17th: $329,000
18th: $309,000
19th: $289,000
20th: $269,000
21st: $250,000
22nd: $233,000
23rd: $216,000
24th: $200,000
25th: $184,000
26th: $168,000
27th: $161,000
28th: $154,000
29th: $147,000
30th: $140,000
31st: $133,000
32nd: $126,000
33rd: $119,000
34th: $114,000
35th: $109,000
36th: $104,000
37th: $99,000
38th: $94,000
39th: $90,000
40th: $86,000
41st: $82,000
42nd: $78,000
43rd: $74,000
44th: $70,000
45th: $66,000
46th: $62,000
47th: $58,000
48th: $56,000
49th: $54,000
50th: $52,000
51st: $51,000
52nd: $50,000
53rd: $49,000
54th: $48,000
55th: $47,000
56th: $46,000
57th: $45,000
58th: $44,000
59th: $43,000
60th: $42,000
61st: $41,000
62nd: $40,000
63rd: $39,000
64th: $38,000
65th: $37,000
66th: $36,000
67th: $35,000
68th: $34,000
69th: $33,000
70th: $32,000
71st: $31,000
72nd: $30,000
What’s Next on the PGA Tour Schedule
Once the Arnold Palmer Invitational concludes, the PGA Tour heads to one of the most anticipated tournaments of the season: The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Often referred to as the fifth major, the tournament features one of the deepest fields in golf and the largest purse on the regular PGA Tour schedule.
The Players Championship also offers an even larger prize pool, historically $25 million, and awards a massive number of FedEx Cup points to the winner. The tournament is famous for its iconic 17th-hole island green, which routinely produces some of the most dramatic moments in professional golf.
Following The Players, the Tour remains in Florida for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort before shifting toward the spring major season. That stretch leads directly into The Masters at Augusta National in April, the first major championship of the year.
With the Arnold Palmer Invitational serving as a key stop in the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing, many players use the event as a final tune-up before the sport’s biggest stages.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Purse: How Much Does the Winner Make?