Arnold Palmer Invitational Leaders Face Early Sunday Restart After Rain Delay
Sunday at 8: 00 a. m. ET, Akshay Bhatia and Daniel Berger will return to finish their third rounds at the arnold palmer invitational. An hour-long rain delay on Saturday pushed completions late and triggered the early restart, forcing the leaders into a long day while other contenders have less to play.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Leaders and Scores After Round 3
Daniel Berger leads at 13-under through 15 holes of Round 3, with Akshay Bhatia two shots back at 11-under through 16 holes. Collin Morikawa, Sepp Straka and Cameron Young sit at 9-under; those three have completed 54 holes in this Signature event and will be able to sleep in Sunday morning rather than return early to the course.
Rain Delay, Dusk Play and Pace at Bay Hill
When play resumed Saturday afternoon after an hour-long rain delay, players and caddies raced to finish in fading light at Bay Hill. Collin Morikawa and his caddie, Mark Urbanek, quickly calculated that they had roughly two hours of daylight left on a course that does not lend itself to quick play. Morikawa’s playing partner, Rickie Fowler, is noted for moving quickly, which helped that pairing get in as the last group to complete the third round.
Fowler and Morikawa holed out on the 18th hole around 6: 35 p. m., then walked through a dark tunnel under a grandstand and crossed a road on the way to scoring. Those final holes and the late finish were the direct result of the weather interruption and the slow, tactical nature of Bay Hill, which stretched the workday for late groups at the arnold palmer invitational.
Player Routines Split at Bay Hill as Leaders Face Marathon
Morikawa said he enjoys long days that stretch into dusk: “I think those days, when you were out there for a long time, you got a lot out of it, ” he said, adding that extended time on the course is not just practice but also fun and valuable for competitive play. That outlook highlights a split: some players benefited from finishing late and then resting, while the two leaders must return early and manage a lengthy Sunday that could extend into night for them.
Off the course, the late finish produced familiar postround moments: Morikawa signed autographs at speed, while Fowler lingered to chat with kids and pose for photos. A small detail underlines the hurried end to the day—Morikawa borrowed a Sharpie from Fowler and returned it to Fowler’s back left pocket after signing—an anecdote that captures how quickly scoring and fan interactions followed the final putts.
Play resumes Sunday at 8: 00 a. m. ET. If weather complications reappear, more early-morning restarts or late finishes could alter pairings and the final-round schedule.
