Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland sit one-shot behind Kurt Kitayama heading into the closing spherical at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with the defending champion Scheffler trying to declare the No 1 spot in the world rankings with a win.
Last Updated: 05/03/23 12:16am
Highlights from the third spherical of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club.
Highlights from the third spherical of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club.
Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy are in contention at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as Kurt Kitayama shot an even-par 72 to take a one-shot lead into Sunday.
Hatton, who was victorious at the occasion in 2020, sits two photographs behind Kitayama in fourth after capturing a bogey-free six-under 66 on Saturday.
McIlroy, too, escaped bogey-less as he completed four-under on the spherical to tie for fifth alongside Harris English, leaving him three photographs again.
“I think any time you can go bogey-free on the weekend at Bay Hill you’re doing something right,” McIlroy mentioned. “I got myself right into the tournament, into the thick of things for tomorrow.”
Kurt Kitayama mirrored on being high of the leaderboard at the finish of day three at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as he seems to get into the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.
Kitayama steadied himself down the stretch as he closed with two birdies over the final three holes to depart with an even-par 72 and a one-shot benefit, the 30-year-old holding himself pursuing a primary PGA Tour victory.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler in the meantime had 5 birdies over his final seven holes to complete with a 68 and one shot behind together with Viktor Hovland of Norway (66), the latter of whom was runner-up final yr.
McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Max Homa all had been inside vary of Kitayama if he had been to lose floor or if Bay Hill was baked and brittle as it sometimes is for the closing spherical.
For now, Kitayama held his personal.
“Just proud of the way I fought,” he mentioned.
His two-shot lead was gone when he despatched his drive properly to the proper and out-of-bounds on the par-5 fourth gap, and he went out in 39 as Hovland planted himself at the high and McIlroy made his transfer with a exceptional bogey-free spherical of 68.
But respiration down his neck is Scheffler, who has already efficiently defended one title this yr at the WM Phoenix Open.
A glance at Tyrell Hatton’s finest photographs on day three of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He took care of each par 5s on the again 9, hit a lob wedge at a scary pin on the thirteenth for birdie, and saved his finest for the par-3 seventeenth. Even with the wind at his again, his solely hope was to hit one thing that stayed on the brick-hard inexperienced. The first thought was a tender 9-iron. He felt the wind swap and determined to hammer 9-iron, and it settled 4 ft for birdie.
Scheffler capped off his birdie-birdie-birdie end with an strategy to 6 ft on the 18th.
Now the Masters champion is in vary of one other title that may very well be sufficient to take him again to No. 1 in the world.
“Should be another fun one,” he mentioned. “That’s what’s exciting about our new schedule. I think we’re going to have a lot more of this stuff. I’m sure Viktor’s looking to beat me this year and I’m looking to do the same. There’s a lot of talented guys on the leaderboard, though. I’m not going to be too focused on anybody else other than myself going into tomorrow.”
Jon Rahm finds himself in hazard of shedding high spot in the rankings, opening with a 65 earlier than following with two straight 76s after making 5 straight bogeys round the flip in the third spherical.
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