09/03/2026 5-Minute World Tour

Welcome to the Free Drop 5-Minute World Tour, where we get you caught up on all the weekend’s professional golf action.

Professional Golf

PGA Tour: Bhatia beats Berger in Bay Hill playoff

Photo credit: PGA Tour/X

Akshay Bhatia staged a remarkable comeback to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by first erasing a four-shot deficit on the back-9 before parring the first playoff hole against Daniel Berger for the third win of his PGA Tour career.

Berger held a one-shot 54-hole lead over Bhatia, making an assured start to the final round with a 2-under opening-nine while Bhatia struggled to a 2-over 38.

Bhatia’s round roared into life with four straight birdies to begin his back-nine before he responded to a dropped shot at 15 with an eagle at 16.

A Berger bogey at 17 meant there was no separating the pair and necessitated extra holes.

Berger missed the fairway off the tee in the playoff, missed the green on his approach and missed a 7-foot par putt.

Bhatia on the other hand found the fairway and green in regulation before finding the bottom of the cup in two putts for his third Tour title.

PGA Tour: Castillo wins Puerto Rico Open for first Tour title

Photo credit: PGA Tour/X

A flawless 5-under 67 by Ricky Castillo saw the American claim a maiden PGA Tour title by a shot from Chandler Blanchet at the Puerto Rico Open.

Leading by a shot with a round to play, Castillo faced a one-stroke deficit against teenager Blades Brown with six holes to play, despite having played his first 12 holes 2-under for the day.

The 13th was the big differentiator. Brown found a fairway bunker off the tee, then the water en route to a disastrous triple-bogey 7. Castillo, playing in the group behind, made a birdie.

One final red number at 14 and a string of pars to close helped the American pip compatriot Blanchet who also closed with a 67.

LPGA Tour: Lee wins Blue Bay LPGA

Photo credit: LPGA/X

She may have shot a final round 1-over 73 but Mi Hyang Lee’s 72nd hole birdie helped her secure a narrow 1-shot lead at the Blue Bay LPGA event.

A one-shot lead through 36 holes grew to three through 54 but the final round was a challenge for Lee.

Double-bogeys at the 6th and 9th were the low points in a round which also featured two additional bogeys for Lee.

She countered those missteps with five birdies, three of which came on the second-9. None of them was more crucial than a birdie at the last which helped her break out of a tie with Weiwei Zhang who closed with a 69.

DP World Tour: Bradbury wins Joburg Open for 2nd time

Photo credit: DP World Tour/X

Good play, mixed with a bit of good fortune, saw Dan Bradbury emerge from the Joburg Open a one-shot victor after a 5-under 65 in the final round.

Hennie Du Plessis began the final day two ahead, seemingly on track to avenge his near-miss at the SA Open. Four birdies on the front-9 helped him extend his lead to three.

Things then went pear-shaped on the inward-half, two bogeys and a double-bogey 5 at 16 saw his challenge unravel in unfortunate fashion.

Brandon Robinson-Thompson ignited his challenge with six birdies over his first 14 holes. Casey Jarvis meanwhile threw his hat into the ring with six birdies of his own, against one dropped shot through his first 14 holes.

Also making six birdies over his opening 14 holes, though dropping two shots was former Joburg Open champion Bradbury.

The trio had contrasting fortunes on the final two holes. Jarvis dropped a shot at the 17th after his chip from beyond the green ran past the hole and he was unable to make the putt coming back. Robinson-Thompson made par to ensure he took a one-shot lead to the last. A birdie at 17 by Bradbury meanwhile ensured he was in the picture should Robinson-Thompson falter.

Falter he did, hitting his approach into 18 to the left section of the green from where he three-putted to fall out of the lead.

Jarvis had a chance to set the clubhouse target at 17-under after a spectacular approach on 18 but his birdie bid burnt the edge and robbed him of a third win in as many weeks.

That was unless Bradbury dropped at 18. After missing the final green long, Bradbury hit a superb downhill chip to 10cms thus preventing Jarvis from winning his third DP World Tour title in as many weeks.

It was thus Bradbury who notched a third win of his career on a dramatic final day.

LIV Golf Tour: Rahm cruises to victory in Hong Kong

Photo credit: LIV Golf League/X

Jon Rahm closed with a final round 6-under 64 to win LIV Golf Hong Kong by three shots from Thomas Detry.

Together with Harold Varner III, the pair shared the 54-hole lead on 17-under to set up a compelling final round. Varner lost ground though with a 69 to finish in 4th. Detry fared better, carding a 67, but there was no stopping Rahm who combatted two bogeys with eight birdies – highlighted by four in a row from the 13th – to earn his first LIV title since 2024.

Korn Ferry Tour: Redman scorches to Chile Classic win

Photo credit: Korn Ferry Tour/X

Doc Redman surged to a 5-shot win at the Chile Classic after closing out an impressive performance with a 4-under 67 in the final round.

Holding a share of the lead through 36 holes and the solo lead through 54 holes after rounds of 67, 66 and 65, Redman built on his 2-shot overnight advantage by offsetting four bogeys with eight birdies. Of note was the fact that Redman began each nine with three straight birdies on the final day, which helped him beat Cooper Dossey (68) and Michael Johnson (69) comfortably.

Sunshine Ladies Tour: Du Toit wins Standard Bank Ladies Open

Photo credit: Sunshine Ladies Tour

Danielle Du Toit broke out of a share of the Standard Bank Ladies Open lead with Olivia Mehaffey by shooting a level-par 72 to prevail by a shot.

Beginning the day on 4-under par, the pair traded the advantage for much of the day. In the end, the event was decided on the penultimate hole where Du Toit made a clutch birdie-2 while Mehaffey carded a bogey, ultimately sharing 2nd-place with Romy Meekers who closed with a 71.

PGA Tour Champions: Johnson wins on debut

Photo credit: PGA Tour Champions/X

Zach Johnson earned a victory in his PGA Tour Champions debut, winning the James Hardie Invitational by four shots after a closing round of 3-under 69.

A second round of 6-under 66 helped Johnson into a one-stroke lead with a round to play. George McNeill briefly tied the lead after an opening-hole birdie in the final round but it proved his only red number of the day.

Johnson picked up two birdies on each nine, against a dropped shot at the 3rd. The nett result was a round which put significant breathing room between himself, McNeill (72) and Stewart Cink who closed with a 70.

Fun Facts & Scary Stats

All three of Akshay Bhatia’s PGA Tour wins have come via playoffs won on he first extra-hole.
Akshay Bhatia hit just 27 of 56 fairways at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
2026 marked the first time since 1999 that the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been decided by a playoff.
Despite turning 50 as recently as the 24th of February, Johnson is only the fourth youngest player to win in PGA Tour Champions history.

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