MCILROY’S BACK-9 BLITZ SUBDUES THE FIELD AT BAY HILL

McIlroy birdies five of last six holes to end victory drought.

The loudest roars at Bay Hill were for Tiger Woods. The last ones were for Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy left some indelible images of his own Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a back-nine charge that would have made the King proud, and a final putt on the 18th green that a delirious gallery had seen for so many years from Woods.

McIlroy ran off five birdies over his last six holes and closed with an 8-under 64 for a three-shot victory. He won for the first time since the Tour Championship on Sept. 25, 2016, the day Palmer died.

“I wish I walked up that hill and got a handshake from him,” McIlroy said. “But I’m so happy to put my name on that trophy.”

Bay Hill was rocking all afternoon, mostly for that red shirt. Woods, who started the final round five shot behind, made three birdies in a fourhole stretch to start the back nine and was within shot of the lead as everyone behind him on the course appeared to stall.

One shot changed everything. Woods couldn’t commit to a swing with his driver on the par-5 16th hole and sent it way left, over a fence and out of bounds, sending him to a bogey when he couldn’t afford anything less than birdie.

He finished bogey-bogey par for a 3-under 69 and tumbled down the leaderboard into a tie for fifth.

That’s about when McIlroy pulled away.

Until then, five players were separated by one shot. Before long, McIlroy was leaving everyone in his wake.

He made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 13th to take the lead over hard-luck Henrik Stenson, and then rolled one in from 20 feet on the next hole. If that wasn’t enough, McIlroy chipped in from 40 feet on the 15th hole, and then pounded a 375-yard drive on the 16th that set up a two-putt birdie.

Bryson DeChambeau made the last run at him, gouging a shot out of the rough, over the water and onto the green at No. 16 and pumping his fist when the eagle putt caught enough of the cup to drop in. That put him one shot behind.

McIlroy, however, wasn’t finished. He left his putt about 25 feet above the hole on No. 18, roughly the same spot from where Woods made birdie putts to win in 2001, 2008 and 2009.

McIlroy buried the putt, raised both arms in the air and turned to the grandstands as fans erupted with cheers.

“I’ve seen Tiger make that enough times to know what it does,” McIlroy said. “But just to be able to create my own little bit of history on the 18th green here is pretty special.”

DeChambeau shot 68 and finished alone in second. Justin Rose lingered all day but was never a threat over the final hour. Stenson lost a third chance in four years to win at Bay Hill. He led by two shots on the front nine before the putts stopped falling. Two back playing the 16th, Stenson three-putted for par and bogeyed the final hole for a 71. He finished fourth.

Woods tied for fifth and now heads to the Masters with plenty of momentum — just not a victory.

LPGA Tour: Inbee Park spoiled Laura Davies’ bid to become the oldest winner in LPGA Tour history, pulling away from the 54-yearold Englishwoman in the Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Park closed with a 5-under 67 for her 19th LPGA victory. The 29-year-old South Korean finished at 19-under 269. Davies, three strokes behind entering the round, shot 69 to finish five back.

MIKE EHRMANN / GETTY IMAGES Rory McIlroy exults after chipping in for birdie on No. 15, part of a closing 8-under 64 Sunday that gave him his first victory since September 2016.