Hatton hangs on to win Bay Hill for 1st PGA Tour title

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tyrrell Hatton felt the Arnold Palmer Invitational slipping away Sunday, perhaps unaware that everyone else trying to survive another brutal test at Bay Hill was feeling the same way.

He gave the wrong kind of salute to the 11th hole when he walked off the green after a double bogey cut his lead to one shot. It looked as though he was about to lose his mind.

Instead, he won the tournament with clutch play amid high stress, closing with seven straight pars for a 2-over 74 and a one-shot victory over Marc Leishman.

“The hardest thing for me today was trying to keep myself level-headed,” Hatton said. “Obviously, there was a few times where I did boil over a little bit, but nothing compared to what I’ve been like in the past. I feel like with how tough it was — for me — I did a good job.” He was even better with the clubs in his hands. The 8-iron out of ankle-deep rough over the water to a front pin on No. 13.

Par saves from off the back of the green on the 14th and 15th holes because the greens were so brittle they wouldn’t hold anything. The best of all was his 5-iron to 25 feet on the par-3 17th for another par, a satisfying score on this day.

Bay Hill served up the most demanding test this side of a major, and Hatton kept it together down the stretch Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory, and his fifth worldwide.

The only time he choked was when he took a gulp of Ketel One vodka — Palmer’s favorite drink — during a toast to the King.

It was Hatton’s fifth victory worldwide, and first on the PGA Tour, and it came in just his second start since returning from surgery on his right wrist during the offseason.