Kitayama comes up clutch down the stretch
Kurt Kitayama let an AllStar cast of contenders back into the tournament with a triple bogey, only to beat them all with a clutch birdie and the best lag putt of his life to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
With five players tied for the lead with only three holes left, Kitayama pulled ahead with a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet on the par-3 17th hole for the lead. Then, his 50-foot putt on the last hole stopped an inch from the cup.
The tap-in par for an evenpar 72 might have been the easiest shot he had all day.
Rory McIlroy missed a 10foot birdie putt on the final hole and shot 70 to finish one shot behind with Harris English, who played bogey-free on the weekend at Bay Hill and closed with 70.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler’s wedge to the 18th was a foot away from giving him a good look at birdie to take the lead. It spun back into the rough and he made bogey for a 73.
Jordan Spieth missed four straight putts inside 8 feet through the 17th hole. He joined Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Tyrrell Hatton two shots back.
They all had a chance, mostly because of one swing. Kitayama had a two-shot lead when he hit a wild hook out-of-bounds on the ninth hole, leading to triple bogey.
Puerto Rico Open
Rookie Nico Echavarria seized control with two straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.
Echavarria, who tied the tournament record at 21-under 267, won his way into The Players Championship next week, this year’s PGA Championship and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Akshay Bhatia, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, closed with a 65 to finish alone in second and earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour. Carson Young, who led through 36 holes, had a 71 and finished third with Nate Lashley (69).
LPGA Tour
Jin Young Ko held off an early charge from Nelly Korda and closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the HSBC Women’s World Championship, her first victory in a year.
Ko said it was the most important of her 14 wins on the LPGA Tour and 11 on the Korea LPGA because of going so long without a win while struggling with a wrist injury late last year. She was No. 1 in the world at this time a year ago and since had dropped to No. 5.
Korda also closed with a 69. She ran off three straight birdies on the front nine to get within one shot, only to make bogey on the sixth hole. She never made another serious run at Ko.
PGA Tour Champions
David Toms got up-anddown for his third bogey of the week on the par-4 18th hole, holding on to beat Robert Karlsson by one stroke in the Cologuard Classic.
Toms closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-day total of 15-under 202.
Gene Sauers (64) and Mark Hensby (65) tied for third, three shots back, and Doug Barron (65) was alone in fifth.