Written by Paul Hodowanic
ORLANDO, Fla. – Russell Henley is not the prototypical PGA TOUR golfer, in game or attitude. He wasn’t built in a lab for the modern era – a relatively short, low-ball hitter in a sport that increasingly demands players hit it higher and further at all costs.
Henley is still, by any metric, one of the best golfers in the world. The others in that esteemed category know they are and carry themselves as if they’ve known it since birth. Henley, meanwhile, is as unassuming as they come, seemingly as surprised as anyone that Arnold Palmer’s sweater was draped around his shoulders and a trophy was propped beside him on Sunday night.
It’s the type of demeanor formed from incremental growth, not a rapid rise; from hard work, not extraordinary talent. But under the nose of most of the golf world, and possibly himself, Henley has transformed into a top-10 player in the world. His come-from-behind win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard solidified it. Even if he doesn’t believe it.
“I don’t really feel like a top-10 player,” said Henley, who moved to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 2 in the FedExCup with the victory. “… So it’s hard for me to kind of comprehend that.”
Henley outlasted the rest of the world’s top 10 at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, playing his last seven holes in 5-under to win by a shot over Collin Morikawa, the world No. 4 who looked destined to win until Henley snatched it from him. It was Henley’s fifth PGA TOUR win, first since the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship.
There were a series of shots over Henley’s final five holes in the fourth round that separated him from Morikawa and the rest of the field at Bay Hill. They also separated Henley from previous versions of himself.
The first came at the 14th hole. Trailing Morikawa by three shots, Henley hit a high, cutting 5-iron into the 210-yard par 3 that stopped 10 feet from the hole, the closest approach all day. It’s the type of shot Henley never hits nor practices.
Russell Henley fades tee shot tight and birdies at Arnold Palmer Invitational
“That’s what these tough courses do,” Henley said. “They force you to hit shots that maybe you don’t practice a lot.”
And this is a course Henley long thought he would never win on. Bay Hill’s known most recently as a bomber’s paradise, won by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark and Scottie Scheffler. Henley ranks 168th in driving distance this season, regularly hitting drives that apex at 70 feet, not 140 feet. In recent years, as the rest of his game has improved, Henley has tried to embrace places he hasn’t fit. He may not hit it far but he’s first in driving accuracy and that can play anywhere, he told himself. And he might not be able to hit a majestic 7-iron that lands softly into Bay Hill’s 14th green, but he’s confident that he can craft an uncomfortable shot and execute it.
“I’m definitely more confident in the last two years than I was four years ago,” Henley said.
With Henley in tight, Morikawa three-putted from 73 feet. Henley canned his birdie. Suddenly, the deficit was only one.
The next shot came at the 16th, trailing Morikawa by one shot. Greenside in two at the 491-yard par 5, Henley had a scruffy lie in the rough, 54 feet from the hole.
Henley was in contention at last week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, but he faded on the final day, mostly because of his chipping.
“I think I duffed one, hit one thin, hit one way too hard,” Henley recalled. “So just felt like way out of whack.”
That led Henley to get a hands-on lesson with Mark Blackburn at Bay Hill earlier this week. He had connected with Blackburn for the first time in the week before the Cognizant Classic, but this was the first time they had worked in person on Henley’s short game. Henley executed some up-and-downs this week that wouldn’t have been possible a week prior, he felt, thanks to the lesson. His chip at the 16th would certainly qualify as one.
Henley and his caddie Andy Sanders picked out a spot 15 feet onto the green that would allow the ball to trundle down the right-to-left slope and close to the hole. Henley took a confident stroke and the ball landed “within an inch” of the spot they picked out, Sanders said. It met the hole with some pace, but hit the flagstick and dropped in for an eagle and a one-shot lead as Morikawa settled for par.
Russell Henley’s clutch eagle and par save clinch win at Arnold Palmer Invitational
“Surreal” was how Henley described it. Henley led the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green at Bay Hill this week. It was a complete 180-degree turn from the week prior.
The last shot that separated Henley came at the 17th, now leading Morikawa by one shot. Henley found the green with his approach on the 208-yard par 3, but he faced a 44-footer over a ridge with more slope than he bargained for. His first putt barely crested the hill and settled 5 feet short of the pin. Meanwhile, Morikawa lagged his ball to tap-in range for an easy par.
These are the types of putts Henley missed two years ago. Henley had been a substandard putter for much of his recent career. He ranked outside the top 100 in putting for five straight years from 2019-23. Right after, he started working with Phil Kenyon, the putting coach best known for aiding Scheffler’s turnaround on the greens. Henley blindly followed Kenyon’s advice and it led to quick improvement.
“I was just so lost with my game, with my putting a few years back,” Henley said.
Kenyon gave Henley structure, cleaning up his technique, start line and green reading. He also instilled belief that Henley could return to an above-average putter, like he had been to start his TOUR career.
“He’s a psychologist as well, really,” Henley said. “He’s amazing.”
At No. 17, Henley faced the most consequential putt of his career. He felt nerves comparable only to the Presidents Cup, though he posited they were stronger standing on that penultimate green at Bay Hill.
He drilled the putt to save par.
“I wouldn’t say he could have definitely done that, you know, two-and-a-half, three years ago,” Sanders said. “But he did it today.”
He took the one-shot lead to 18, where he closed with another par to win at Arnie’s Place.
Improvement builds on itself, in ways seen and unseen, even to the individual. Henley might not have been able to hit a high cut 5-iron a few years ago. Even two weeks ago, he would not have holed that chip on 16. He might not have won without feeling similar nerves at the Presidents Cup and playing well. He might not have won if he didn’t gain self-confidence that came from frequent contention over the last 12 months.
Henley does not think about winning much. It’s so hard to do, he said, and there are so many great players that he still sees as a class above him.
Russell Henley news conference after winning Arnold Palmer Invitational
The numbers haven’t lied, though. For the last year, the underlying metrics have pointed to Henley as a fringe top-10 player in the world. He’s one of just a handful of players who have ranked inside the top 25 in SG: Total for each of the last two years. The only thing missing was the Signature Event win.
“It’s just hard to take in,” Henley said. “I can’t explain it.”
No explanation is needed. The results speak for themselves. Now it’s time for Henley to start believing in them.
