“I consider it a major”: Russell Henley aims for history at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Russell Henley still has fresh memories of winning the coveted Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2025 at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. With this year’s tournament just days away, Henley is gearing up to defend his title.

As he prepared for the challenge, the 36-year-old weighed in on whether next week’s Players Championship should be regarded as golf’s fifth major. Henley clinched his fifth PGA Tour title with last year’s victory at Bay Hill and is now eyeing his first win in a Grand Slam tournament.

Russell Henley chasing milestone at Arnold Palmer Invitational

“I think it’s a major. It’s our home tournament. I don’t know the statistics on what they say, like best field in golf or whatever, but, I mean, it is,” Russell Henley told reporters Tuesday, as quoted by deadspin.com.

“And the history with that tournament? I mean, I’ve always considered that a major in my mind. It’s just such a tricky golf course and it rewards great shots, typically. It visually is very intimidating. I feel like if you have a good week there, you’ve done a lot of really good things,” he said.“You look at the past champions (of The Players) and it hasn’t really favored any one player. People typically don’t win it back-to-back, unless you’re Scottie (Scheffler, 2023–24).

But it’s a tournament I always look forward to. I love the challenge of it, and it’s one of, yeah, I consider it a major,” he added.When asked how highly he would rank a victory at The Players compared to the four majors, Henley placed it right up there.“I mean, winning there, on a golf course like that, with that kind of history, it proves you can do it anywhere, I think, for sure. Those closing holes are really tough, I would imagine, when you’re carrying a lead,” he said.

Russell Henley on earning the red cardigan at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Russell Henley also recalled the moment he earned the champion’s red cardigan at Bay Hill last year. The red cardigan is a ceremonial sweater awarded to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational following the death of golf legend Arnold Palmer in 2016. To pay tribute to Palmer, tournament organizers began presenting the red cardigan to honor his legacy.“Once that chip went in on 16, I knew the tournament was far from over.

I only had a one-shot lead, and I had two really difficult holes to play, so I knew I had a lot of work cut out for me,” Henley said.“I knew Collin was playing great and I knew he would play great under pressure like he always does. Just a lot of ups and downs emotionally, and I’m really proud of myself for hanging tough all day and seeing it through,” he added.Henley is now aiming for a significant milestone to become the first back-to-back winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational since Matt Every achieved the feat in 2014 and 2015.Also read: Arnold Palmer Invitational field breakdown: Star-studded line-up set for Bay Hill