After playing the first eight holes in two under and opening up his lead, Kitayama badly pulled his tee shot at No. 9 and got the most brutal break you'll see ...
On the 18th, after hitting his tee shot into the left rough, he found the green with his approach and made the par to pull out the victory. Despite the triple, and despite the fact it was the second straight day he hit a tee shot out of bounds and made a 7, he somehow went back into a tie for the lead, then drained a birdie putt on the 17th hole jump on top all by himself again. A ball has to be completely outside the out of bounds boundary to be deemed out of bounds.
A PGA Tour designated event delivered once again, this time at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Fourteen players were within three shots of the lead down the ...
was on the putting green earlier and he said, ‘You know, just relax and just make sure to take some deep breaths and walk slow.’ So I thought of that and I was able to recognize it, luckily, and just kind of calm down.” And if I had of known that, I wouldn’t have tried to play the shot that I played on 14, which was unfortunate,” said McIlroy, who shot 70 and missed a 10-foot birdie putt that could have forced a playoff. But the last of the bunch was a three-putt from 56 feet at the par-5 16th. 1 and defend his second title of the season. 12 and 13 to take the lead at 9 under. He took just 12 putts in his first 11 holes but down the stretch he couldn’t get them to drop. “I wouldn’t have hit any of the putts differently. So I think just as a person I was able to grow.” Asked to name the strength of Kitayama’s game, Schauffele said, “He hits it a mile. 1 at the time, at the CJ Cup. But on the ninth hole, he tugged his tee shot left and it stopped out of bounds by six inches, leading to a triple bogey. “I don’t think he was very good at anything,” said J.C.
Kitayama emerged victorious at Bay Hill despite a rollercoaster final round of PGA Tour superstars breathing down his neck.
But Kitayama, thanks to a clutch birdie at the 17th and a wild lag-putt at the last, is now a winner on the PGA Tour. Kitayama weaved through a crowded ...
Kurt Kitayama finished strong at the Arnold Palmer Invitational to emerge from a packed leaderboard for his first PGA Tour victory.
A two-putt at one of the most famous greens in golf was all that stood between Kitayama and glory, and he nearly did one better. His tee shot found deep rough up the left side of the famous closing hole. He proceeded to hit one of the best shots of his life, leaving himself just inside 14 feet for the go-ahead birdie.
Kurt Kitayama earned his first PGA Tour win at Bay Hill in a final round full of drama.
“I still wish I could have had a couple of shots back today but I guess everyone would say the same thing,” said McIlroy. Bogeys at the next two stalled his run but he came within a whisker of reaching nine under with a birdie try at the last. At the last, Kitayama, 30, rolled a glorious 48ft putt to within millimetres of the cup. “It was a great back nine, it was great to be involved in,” said McIlroy. By the time he tapped in for a seven, the leader was Jordan Spieth. The Californian recovered from a triple bogey at the 9th hole of his final round and held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to prevail at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Kurt Kitayama fended off a star-studded and crowded leaderboard to clinch his first PGA Tour win with victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf! I felt like I hung in there really well, I just came up one short in the end. "My heart was pumping, but being in those situations in the past definitely helped. I've been close and to finally get it done feels Rory McIlroy: We have to be 'aspirational'](https://www.skysports.com/golf/news/12176/12822861/pga-tour-to-introduce-radical-no-cut-events-in-2024-rory-mcilroy-we-have-to-be-aspirational) "Ecstatic," said Kitayama.
Kurt Kitayama maintained a narrow lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as he draws within one round of securing a maiden PGA Tour victory.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy picked up four birdies without dropping a shot in the third round to keep in touch with the top of the leaderboard on six under. The 31-year-old jumped 29 spots on Saturday courtesy of a bogey-free round of six-under 66. The 30-year-old Californian recovered from an early double bogey to eke out an even round of 72 on Saturday – enough to keep him on top of the leaderboard at nine under.