He’s 18 holes away from his 1st win
Kitayama clings to 1-stroke lead
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kurt Kitayama had to leave home to find his way in golf by playing circuits in Europe, Australia and Asia, all for a chance to get to the highest level. Along with three worldwide titles, he learned how to battle.
That might come in handy Sunday at Bay Hill.
Without a birdie on the front nine and no longer in the lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Kitayama fought back with a 25-foot birdie to start the back nine and two birdies over the final three holes Saturday for an even-par 72.
A 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole gave him a one-shot lead over defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland of Norway.
“Just proud of the way I fought,” Kitayama said. “There’s no giving up. It’s just kind of in my nature. Even when it’s going bad, you can’t just like pack it in. You fight for every shot.”
Now comes the hard part for Kitayama, a 30-year-old Californian going after his first PGA Tour victory.
Scheffler had five birdies over his last seven holes in warm gusts that made Bay Hill tough as ever. He finished with a 68 and was one shot behind. Hovland holed a bunker shot for one of his six birdies in a bogey-free round of 66.
Hovland finished runnerup to Scheffler a year ago at Bay Hill.
The rest of the contenders are what was to be expected with a $20 million event and every PGA Tour member from the top 50 in the world.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth,
Justin Thomas and Max Homa all were within range of Kitayama if he were to lose ground or if Bay Hill was baked and brittle as it typically is for the final round.
For now, Kitayama held his own, even if it looked as though he could crater.
His two-shot lead was gone when one loose swing sent his drive well to the right and out-of-bounds on the par-5 fourth hole, leading to double bogey. He went out in 39 as Hovland planted himself at the top and McIlroy made his move with a remarkable bogey-free round of 68.
“I think any time you can go bogey-free on the weekend at Bay Hill you’re doing something right,” McIlroy said. “I got myself right into the tournament, into the thick of things for tomorrow.”
Rahm is in danger of losing the top ranking. He opened with a 65 and followed with two straight 76s. He made five straight bogeys around the turn in the third round.
LPGA: In Singapore, defending champion Jin Young Ko shot a second consecutive 7-under 65 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda into the final round of the LPGA’s Women’s World Championship.
Ko had a 54-hole total of 14-under 202 after another weather-delayed day at the Sentosa Golf Club. She birdied four of her first five holes and two of her last three.
“I tried to focus really hard over the front nine,” Ko said. “I felt, ‘yeah, today is a good day, so keep going.’”
Americans held the other leading positions.
Korda shot 68 Saturday and was in second place, followed by first-round leader Elizabeth Szokol, who had a 70 and was three behind Ko and in third place, tied with Allisen Corpuz, who also shot 70.