The Punter's De-brief: Hot Henley catches sorry Morikawa

• Long odds-on shots tumble on both Tours

• Read my Players Championship preview here 

• Check out our 2025 Cheltenham Festival HUB

• Get a completely free bet every day of the Cheltenham Festival with Betfair

• Gamble responsibly with Betfair during the 2025 Cheltenham Festival

Having begun the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a one-stroke lead, pre-event 30.029/1 chance Collin Morikawa went two clear when he holed out from a greenside bunker at the first hole on Sunday. He was matched at just 1.11/10 when he led by three with just five holes to play.

Correy Conners, Jason Day, Michael Kim and Dave Tindall's each-way fancy, Russell Henley, were all tied for second, but it was all change at the par three 14^th.

After Henley hit a great tee shot to within 10 feet, Morikawa hit a loose one short of the green and after he'd tapped in for a bogey four, Henley stepped up and drained the birdie putt.

Back to where they were at the start of the day after the two-shot swing, Morikawa was still the most likely winner according to the market. But Henley assumed command at the par five 16^th when there was another two-stroke swing, the 35-year-old Georgian chipping in for an eagle three.

HENLEY HOLE-OUT!!

From 1 back to 1 ahead with one perfect chip.

NBC pic.twitter.com/UZXUvwm4Hq

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 9, 2025

Both men then parred 17 and 18 so Henley went on to win by one. We still haven't seen a playoff at Bay Hill this century.

Morikawa couldn't have been more impressive when winning the Open Championship in 2021, but this was the third time he's traded at very long odds-on and lost.

He failed to convert a five-stroke 54-hole lead at the Hero Golf Challenge in December 2021. He threw away The Sentry in January 2023, having led by six with 18 to play.

He didn't do an awful lot wrong on this occasion. But for Henley's heroics at 14 and 16 he probably would have hung on. Morikawa remains, however, one to take on in-contention.

Drama aplenty on the DP World Tour

Earlier in the day, pre-event 30.029/1 chance, Shaun Norris, had begun the final round of the Joburg Open leading by four strokes but he blew the event wide-open with bogeys at the first two holes and we witnessed a very dramatic finale.

Having been trading at around 300.0299/1 with a round to go, Dylan Frittelli was matched at just 2.68/5 when he made his second eagle of the day at the par four 13^th to lead by one.

Having got to eight-under-par for the day, he looked the most likely winner and had he parred his way in he would have made the playoff. But it was all change again at the par four 15^th.

Minutes after Norris had drawn back level with Frittelli with a birdie at the par five 10^th, Frittelli found water with his approach at the 15^th hole to make a bogey five, as his playing partner, Callum Hill, birdied his third hole-in-row to draw alongside Norris at the top.

Norris then found water with his approach at the 12^th to record a double-bogey six. Frittelli was back in front alongside Hill when the Scot bogeyed the par three 16^th.

It was a dramatic finish and a very tough event to call as the Kenya Open winner, Jacques Kruyswijk, also threw his hat in the ring.

Having tied Hill and Frittelli at the top with a birdie at the 13^th, the pre-event 44.043/1 chance was matched at 1.748/11 when he stiffed his tee-shot at the par three 14^th . But before he could hole for his birdie two, Hill caught a huge break on the 18^th after an indifferent approach shot.

Calum Hill sets the clubhouse target at -14 after a brilliant birdie at the last #JoburgOpen pic.twitter.com/1tCWz7MSnN

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 9, 2025

Kruyswijk led alone momentarily after his birdie at the 14^th before Hill rolled his birdie putt in at 18. But he dropped out of the lead at the very next hole with a bogey five at 15.

Having been a 110.0109/1 chance before the off, and having been matched at 990.0989/1 in-running, Hill, who was a 400.0399/1 chance when he trailed by eight with a round to go, was matched at just 1.261/4 as he sat in the clubhouse following his incredible eight-under-par 62 on Sunday. But he still had work to do.

Kruyswijk birdied the 17^th to draw back alongside Hill. After a torrid final round, Norris, who had been matched at as low as 1.364/11, birdied both 16 and 18 to draw alongside the clubhouse leaders. We had a three-man playoff.

Regulation play had been a fabulous spectacle but with storm clouds looming, the playoff was a bit of a damp squib. All three men got up-and-down for par at the first extra hole, but it was soon decided at the second.

Norris' challenge ended when his foot slipped in the fairway bunker, and he found the water with his approach. Kruyswijk was very unlucky with his approach when it caught the slope left of the hole.

Hill tapped in for a two-putt par and, having raced his birdie putt a couple of feet past the hole, poor Kruyswijk pushed right of the hole as the thunder rolled in the background.

A star is born in Puerto Rico

On a day when nerves got to the long odds-on experienced leaders in Florida and South Africa, Karl Vilips was playing in just his fourth start on the PGA Tour, less than a year after he'd turned pro. The pre-event 75.074/1 chance, cooly converted a one-stroke 54-hole lead at the Puerto Rico Open.

Having performed poorly with the halfway lead on Saturday, Denmark's Rasmus Norgaard-Petersen put in an incredible charge and he was matched at a low of 1.9620/21 when he led after a string of six birdies from the 10^th hole. But Vilips responded in style with three straight birdies of his own from the 13^th and won by three when he rolled in this birdie putt at the 72^nd hole.

"COME ON!"

Rookie Karl Vilips wins in style after setting a new tournament record for the lowest 72-hole score @PuertoRicoOpen. pic.twitter.com/hnr94iXalF

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 9, 2025

Vilips, who had won the Utah Championship from the front on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, had been a 2/13.00 chance with a round to go, and he looks a real prospect.

He's the first player to wear Tiger Woods' Sun Day Red clothing label on the PGA Tour and it looks like the GOAT has picked out a star.

In addition to Viktor Hovland and Tony Finau winning here, Jason Day, Jordon Spieth, Daniel Berger and Bryson DeChambeau have all finished runner-up, so although only an alternative event, the Puerto Rico Open has unearthed some great talent. It appears to have done so again in 2025.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

Read more golf tips, previews and analysis here