Akshay Bhatia excelled with a 6-under 66 round, securing the second spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, trailing leader Daniel Berger by five strokes. Berger, after an impressive 9-under 63 start, maintained his lead with a 4-under 68, standing at 13-under par.
Sahith Theegala surged to a tie for third place at 7-under par with a flawless 5-under 67 round. He shares this position with Ludvig Åberg and Collin Morikawa, both at 1-under 71. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler climbed to T-15 with a 1-under 71, while Rory McIlroy jumped 24 places to T-9 at 4-under par after shooting 4-under 68.
Bhatia’s impressive performance included birdies at the opening hole, fifth, sixth, and eighth, with a lone bogey at the ninth. He bounced back on the back nine, securing birdies at the 12th, 13th, and 16th holes to finish at 8-under par. Theegala also displayed consistency, carding a clean 67 round with birdies at multiple holes.
Berger maintained his lead with a strong round, starting with a birdie and adding more on the back nine. He heads into the weekend with a five-shot advantage over his competitors. As the tournament progresses, Berger holds a significant lead, while Bhatia, Theegala, and others aim to challenge for the title.
