In terms of his style and demeanour, Russell Henley is not your normal PGA TOUR player. A relatively small, low-ball hitter in a sport that increasingly requires players to hit the ball farther and higher at all costs, he wasn’t created in a lab for the modern day.
By all standards, Henley remains one of the world’s top golfers. The others in that prestigious group are aware of it and present themselves as though they have always been that way. Henley, on the other hand, is as modest as they come and appears to be as shocked as everybody else that on Sunday night, a trophy was placed next to him and Arnold Palmer’s jumper was slung over his shoulders.
It’s the kind of attitude that develops via steady progress rather than quick ascent; it comes from diligence rather than exceptional ability. Henley, however, has become a top-10 player in the world, right under the nose of the majority of the golf community and perhaps even of himself. It was cemented when he overcame adversity to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. even though he doesn’t think it’s true.
“I don’t consider myself to be among the top ten players. I find it difficult to understand that.” said Henley, who moved to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 2 in the FedExCup with the victory.
At Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Henley outlasted the other top 10 players in the world, finishing his final seven holes in 5-under to defeat world No. 4 Collin Morikawa, who appeared to be set to win until Henley stole it from him. Henley’s victory was his sixth on the PGA TOUR and his first since the World Wide Technology Championship in 2022.
Henley was separated from Morikawa and the rest of the field at Bay Hill by a string of strokes over his last five holes in the fourth round. Additionally, they distanced Henley from earlier iterations of himself.
At the 14th hole, the first occurred. Henley, who was 3 strokes behind Morikawa, made the closest approach of the day with a high, cutting 5-iron into the 210-yard par 3 that stopped 10 feet from the hole. Henley never practices or hits this kind of shot.
“These challenging courses accomplish that. They make you make shots that you may not have practiced much.” Henley said.
Henley had long believed he would never succeed in this course. Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, and Scottie Scheffler are among the previous winners of Bay Hill, which is regarded as a bomber’s paradise. This season, Henley is ranked 168th in terms of driving distance, frequently hitting drives that peak at 70 feet rather than 140 feet.
Henley has made an effort to accept roles where he hasn’t fit in recent years as the rest of his game has developed. He persuaded himself that even if he might not hit it far, he is the best at driving accuracy, which can be used anyplace. He is certain that he can create an awkward shot and execute it, even though he may not be able to smash a magnificent 7-iron that lands softly into the 14th green at Bay Hill.
“In the past 2 years, my confidence has undoubtedly increased compared to 4 years ago.” Henley said.
Morikawa three-putted from 73 feet with Henley in tight. Henley’s birdie was canned. All of a sudden, there was just one deficit.
With a one-shot behind to Morikawa, the following shot was at the 16th. Henley had a tough lie 54 feet from the hole, greenside in 2 at the 491-yard par 5.
Henley was competitive at the Cognisant Classic in The Palm Beaches last week, but he lost ground on the last day, primarily due to poor chipping.
“I believe I hit one far too hard, hit one thin, and duffed one. It felt completely out of balance.” Henley recalled.
As a result, early this week Henley received a practical instruction from Mark Blackburn at Bay Hill. This was the first time he and Blackburn had worked together in person to work on Henley’s short game, although they had connected for the first time the week before the Cognisant Classic. This week, Henley experienced some ups and downs that he believed were made possible by the lesson a week earlier. His 16th-inning chip would undoubtedly count as one.
Henley and his assistant Andy Sanders selected a location 15 feet into the green where the ball would trundle near the hole and down the right-to-left slope. The ball landed “within an inch” of the place they selected after Henley hit it with confidence, according to Sanders. It hit the flagstick and fell in for an eagle, giving it a one-shot lead after meeting the hole with considerable pace , while Morikawa settled for Par.
According to Henley, it was “surreal.” In this week’s Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green at Bay Hill, Henley was in the lead. Compared to the previous week, it was a total 180-degree turn.
Henley lead Morikawa by 1 shot after the final shot that separated them occurred on the 17th. On the 208-yard par-3, Henley made his approach to the green, but he had to make a 44-footer over a hill that was steeper than he had anticipated. His first putt fell 5 feet short of the pin after barely cresting the mound. Morikawa, however, lagged his ball to within tap-in range for a simple par.
2 years ago, Henley missed putts like this. For a large portion of his recent career, Henley has been a poor putter. From 2019 to 2023, he had 5 consecutive years of putting rankings outside the top 100. He immediately began working with Phil Kenyon, the putting coach who helped Scheffler turn things around on the greens. Henley immediately improved after heedlessly following Kenyon’s counsel.
“A few years ago, I was completely lost in my game, with my putting.” 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.
“In fact, he’s a psychologist as well. He’s incredible.” Henley said.
Henley had to make the most important putt of his career at number 17. He thought they were stronger standing on the penultimate green at Bay Hill, but he felt nerves that were only equal to those at the Presidents Cup.
To save par, he made the putt.
“He couldn’t have done it, you know, two and a half or three years ago, in my opinion. But today, he succeeded.” Sanders said.
He closed with another par to win at Arnie’s Place, taking a one-shot lead to 18.
Even for the individual, progress builds upon itself in both visible and invisible ways. A few years ago, Henley might not have been able to hit a high cut 5-iron. He wouldn’t have holed that chip on 16 even two weeks ago. If he hadn’t played well and experienced comparable anxiety at the Presidents Cup, he might not have won. If he hadn’t developed the confidence that came with being in conflict frequently over the previous 12 months, he might not have triumphed.
Henley doesn’t give victory much thought. “It’s really difficult,” he stated, adding that he still considers many excellent players to be a level above him.
But the numbers haven’t been lying. Henley has been a fringe top-10 player in the world for the past year, according to the underlying criteria. He is among the very few players who have finished in the top 25 in SG: Total for the past two years. The victory in the Signature Event was the only thing lacking.
That’s here now as well.
“It’s simply difficult to comprehend. I am unable to explain it.” Henley said.
It’s just hard to understand. I cannot describe it.
