Planet Golf — 03 March 2023 by GW staff and news services
Kitayama holds off the horde; wins API

ORLANDO, Fla. — Kurt Kitayama let an All-Star 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 presented by Mastercard 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 even-par 72 might have been the easiest shot he had all day.

Rory McIlroy roared into the mix with four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, only to miss a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole for the lead. He had a 70 and finished one shot behind. So did Harris English, who went bogey-free on the weekend at crusty, windy Bay Hill for a 70.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler was a foot away from having a close look at birdie and a chance to take the lead. Instead, his ball spun back into the rough on the 18th and he finished with a bogey.

Jordan Spieth was among six players who had at least a share of the lead over the final two hours. He missed four straight putts inside 8 feet from the 14th through the 17th holes — three of them for par. He took the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt, then played his last five holes in 3 over.

Spieth (70), Scheffler (73), Patrick Cantlay (68) and Tyrrell Hatton (72) all finished two shots behind.

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.

These are the kind of players who kept beating Kitayama — Jon Rahm by one shot in Mexico, Xander Schauffele by one shot in the Genesis Scottish Open, McIlroy by one shot in THE CJ CUP in South Carolina last year.

This time, the 30-year-old Californian who toiled around the world to earn a PGA TOUR card had the final say.

Kitayama finished at 9-under 279 and earned $3.6 million.

“It went south on 9,” Kitayama said. “All of a sudden, I’m not leading any more. I just fought back hard, and I’m proud of myself for that.”

McIlroy tried a bold play on the par-3 14th without knowing he was right in the mix, the start of a bogey-bogey stretch that set him back. He hit the best approach of anyone on the 18th, right over the flag to 10 feet. The putt stayed to the right the whole way.

The finish was such pure theater that five players were tied for the lead deep into the final round, and all of them had chances to win.

“I certainly felt it on the golf course, so I’m sure it was pretty good to watch,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard because the lead was changing hands with guys making bogeys, not really making birdies. So don’t know how people find that entertainment value.

“But it was a great back nine. It was great to be involved with,” he said. “I’m really happy for Kurt. He’s been playing well for a while now and I’m happy to see him get his first win.”

Of the top seven players, all of them have either won majors or played in the Ryder Cup. The exception is Kitayama, who groomed himself for a moment like this with so many close calls against players with polished pedigrees.

Kitayama, who played at UNLV, didn’t find much success on the Korn Ferry Tour and took his trade overseas to the Asian Tour and DP World Tour, with stops along the way on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and the Japan Golf Tour.

Now he’s No. 19 in the world, with a red cardigan sweater for winning at Arnie’s place and a big feather in his cap for the players he had to beat.

He made it difficult on himself on the 18th, pulling his tee shot into dense rough. His only thought was to “just get it on the green, just give myself an opportunity.”

That was all he needed and he finally has a PGA TOUR title to show for it.

Rahm, meanwhile, finished in a tie for 39th — his first time outside the top 10 since the TOUR Championship last August. He still managed to stay at No. 1 in the world.

THIRD ROUND

ORLANDO, Fla. — Kurt Kitayama steadied himself down the stretch Saturday at Bay Hill, closing with two birdies over the last three holes to escape with an even-par 72 and a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

McIlroy tried a bold play on the par-3 14th without knowing he was right in the mix, the start of a bogey-bogey stretch that set him back. He hit the best approach of anyone on the 18th, right over the flag to 10 feet. The putt stayed to the right the whole way.

The finish was such pure theater that five players were tied for the lead deep into the final round, and all of them had chances to win.

“I certainly felt it on the golf course, so I’m sure it was pretty good to watch,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard because the lead was changing hands with guys making bogeys, not really making birdies. So don’t know how people find that entertainment value.

“But it was a great back nine. It was great to be involved with,” he said. “I’m really happy for Kurt. He’s been playing well for a while now and I’m happy to see him get his first win.”

Of the top seven players, all of them have either won majors or played in the Ryder Cup. The exception is Kitayama, who groomed himself for a moment like this with so many close calls against players with polished pedigrees.

Kitayama, who played at UNLV, didn’t find much success on the Korn Ferry Tour and took his trade overseas to the Asian Tour and DP World Tour, with stops along the way on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and the Japan Golf Tour.

Now he’s No. 19 in the world, with a red cardigan sweater for winning at Arnie’s place and a big feather in his cap for the players he had to beat.

He made it difficult on himself on the 18th, pulling his tee shot into dense rough. His only thought was to “just get it on the green, just give myself an opportunity.”

That was all he needed and he finally has a PGA TOUR title to show for it.

Rahm, meanwhile, finished in a tie for 39th — his first time outside the top 10 since the TOUR Championship last August. He still managed to stay at No. 1 in the world.

Now comes the hard part for Kitayama, a 30-year-old Californian going after his first PGA TOUR victory.

Defending champion Scottie 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, along with Viktor Hovland of Norway (66).

Hovland finished runner-up 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.

“Just proud of the way I fought,” he said.

His two-shot lead was gone when he sent his drive well to the right and out-of-bounds on the par-5 fourth hole, and 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.”

Two shots behind Kitayama was Tyrrell Hatton of England, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first U.S. victory in 2020, the last PGA TOUR event before the COVID-19 pandemic. He also played bogey-free for a 66.

There was plenty of evidence of trouble at Bay Hill, as always.

Corey Conners of Canada was among four players who had at least a share of the lead at one point Saturday, only to shoot 40 on the back nine. He finished with a shot into the 18th that caromed off the rocks, into the rough and then trickled back down the rocks. He made bogey for a 75.

Spieth opened bogey-bogey playing in the final group with Kitayama. He still was within two shots of the lead but then went the final 12 holes with no birdies and one bogey for a 74. Thomas played bogey-free until missing a 4-foot par putt on the last hole for a 72.

Homa was 4 under through his opening four holes, only to drop four shots the rest of the way until a birdie on the 16th for a 71. He was five behind, along with Cameron Young (72).

Xander Schauffele went left off the tee far too often, and with water down the left side of the par-5 sixth, that miss led to double bogey. He had a 75 and was six behind along with Patrick Cantlay, who had only two birdies in his round of 74.

Still, this final round could be wide open.

Kitayama was at 9-under 207. A three-time winner worldwide, his search for that first PGA TOUR title has been stopped by some of the game’s best players — Jon Rahm in the Mexico Open, Xander Schauffele in the Genesis Scottish Open, McIlroy at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina.

Now he has to contend with a host of top players, and Scheffler is sure to get his attention. Scheffler already has successfully defended one title this year at the WM Phoenix Open.

He took care of both par 5s on the back nine, hit a lob wedge at a scary pin on the 13th for birdie, and saved his best for the par-3 17th. Even with the wind at his back, his only hope was to hit something that stayed on the brick-hard green.

The first thought was a soft 9-iron. He felt the wind switch and decided to hammer 9-iron, and it settled 4 feet for birdie. Scheffler capped off his birdie-birdie-birdie finish with an approach to 6 feet on the 18th.

Now the Masters champion is in range of another title that could be enough to take him back to No. 1 in the world. Scheffler expects the sternest test of the week.

“Should be another fun one,” he said, alluding to the course and the contenders. “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.”

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.

SECOND ROUND

ORLANDO, Fla. — Kurt Kitayama is chasing his first PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a world-class group of contenders right behind him.

Kitayama should be used to that.

Last year alone, he fell one shot sort of Jon Rahm in Mexico, Xander Schauffele in Scotland and Rory McIlroy in South Carolina.

Kitayama handled the wind that only made Bay Hill tougher, posting a 4-under 68 for a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth, a three-time major champion and former No. 1 player in the world.

“Right now I feel like I’m just trying to get that win,” Kitayama said. “It’s tough, especially with the guys I’ve been against. So I’ve just got to keep putting myself in that position to give myself a chance.”

Rahm finally looked human. His final five holes included a double bogey, three bogeys and a birdie. He shot 76, his highest score since a 76 in the third round of the PGA Championship last May, and fell six shots behind.

 “How would I characterize it? What do you think I’m going to say? Excuse my language, but it’s (expletive) hard,” Rahm said.

He was smiling as he spoke, happy to be done and resigned that a tough day at the office would not belong only to him in these conditions.

 “It’s firm. It’s fast. And it’s blowing 30 miles an hour,” he said. “It’s a very difficult golf course.”

Kitayama was at 9-under 135, and the immediate challenge is Spieth, who tied for fourth in his lone appearance at Bay Hill.

Spieth reached the par 5s on the back nine in two to set up birdies, holed a long par putt on 15th, holed a long birdie putt from the fringe on the 17th, and then got a huge break with what he called the worst drive he ever hit with a snap hook that looked certain to go out-of-bounds.

Instead, it settled at the base of a mesh boundary fence. Spieth’s only play was to invert a sand wedge and play it left-handed. That would put his feet on the cart path, and from there he was entitled to a free drop.

“It was very lucky,” Spieth said. “The whole entire hole I should have made 6 or 7, and I sneaky almost made a 4.”

He missed the par putt and had to settle for a 69, and a spot in the final group Saturday.

Cameron Young looked to be right there until the final four holes. He was one shot behind until a pair of bogeys and then a shot from the thick rough into the water on the 18th for a double bogey and a 73. He was five behind.

Schauffele dropped only one shot — his approach to the 11th came up short and into the water, and he made an 18-foot putt to escape the bogey — and played the final 16 holes without a bogey. He shot 70 and was three behind along with Corey Conners, who had the low round of the day at 66.

“Felt like a 62,” Conners said.

Justin Thomas managed eight birdies, only for a bogey-bogey finish for a 67. He was in the group at 5-under 139 that included Patrick Cantlay (71) and U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who birdied his last three holes for a 69.

Kitayama plodded along even as the wind began to pick up. He was bogey-free until the par-5 16th when he got out of position off the tee and had to play short of the water with his third shot, leading to bogey.

But he answered with a 100-foot bunker shot to tap-in range on the par-3 17th, and with the wind at his back, hit gap wedge to 10 feet for birdie.

Kitayama doesn’t need a PGA Tour event to get in some good competition. He plays regularly in Las Vegas with Schauffele and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.

“Yeah, Kurt, we call him ‘Quadzilla’ or the ‘Quadfather.’ He’s got really big legs,” Schauffele said. “He’s a good dude. He’s a really good player. He hangs tough and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. So not surprised to see him up there.”

There’s plenty of power from those legs on the 5-foot-7 Kitayama. After a tap-in birdie on the 11th, he hammered a drive 361 yards on the par-5 12th, leaving only an 8-iron to the green that set up another birdie.

McIlroy, meanwhile, got under par for the first time in the tournament on his 26th hole, making a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole. He birdied the par 5s on the front nine and finished with a 69, still seven behind Kitayama but not overly stressed about it.

 “Kurt’s a great player, but you look at some of the people that are on 6 (under) behind him, like Xander,” McIlroy said. “It’s not the lead … but I feel like if I can catch Xander, then I’m going to get pretty close to winning the golf tournament.”

Two players had to return Saturday morning to finish the second round. One was Greg Koch, in the rough on the difficult par-4 ninth. If he made birdie, the cut would be 1-over 145 and he would knock out seven players. A bogey would mean Koch misses the cut.

FIRST ROUND

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jon Rahm started his round strong and ended it even better Thursday, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for a 7-under 65 and a two-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Not even the brute test of Bay Hill was a match for golf’s hottest player.

“Amazing round of golf,” he said. “I wish all of them were as enjoyable as this one.”

That doesn’t mean it was perfection by any means. Rahm, playing in the afternoon when the greens became a bit more crusty, opened with three straight birdies. He held steady the rest of the way until his big burst at the end allowed him to zoom past Honda Classic winner Chris Kirk and Cameron Young.

He hit only eight fairways. He twice was blocked by trees, one time escaping with par with a 30-foot putt on the 15th hole.

But oh, that finish.

Rahm hit 5-iron to 25 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th and holed it for eagle. On the par-3 17th, he hammered a 7-iron that cleared the bunker and landed in just the right spot to roll out to 2 feet. And on the closing hole, he hit a soft 9-iron to a front pin that settled about 6 feet away.

Rahm had said earlier in the week he doesn’t think he can be beat when he is firing on all cylinders, a belief by most top players. He also said he couldn’t think of a tournament where he played his absolute best.

“Go through the round and you’ll see plenty of mistakes,” Rahm said. “I just took advantage of minimizing mistakes and converted a couple of situations into really good scores. But it can always be better.

“But it’s the first day,” he added. “Ask me that on Sunday if I keep playing like this, and I’ll probably change my answer.”

Bay Hill is bracing for the worst over the next few days, with the wind expected to be strong on a course that already is fast and firm.

Kirk is coming off an emotional win nearly eight years in the making. He carried that momentum to seven birdies for a 67 during the morning round. Young also had a 67 in morning conditions that might be as easy as Bay Hill gets all week.

They were joined by Kurt Kitayama, who had a chance to challenge Rahm until dropping his lone shot on his final hole at No. 9.

The group at 68 included defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, all among the top 20 in the world.

But it starts at the top, and Rahm looks as tough as ever. He already has three PGA TOUR wins this year, and he has won five of his last nine tournaments worldwide.

Rory McIlroy, who has a mathematical chance to return to No. 1 in the world with a win, was over par from his opening hole and scratched out a 73, including a double bogey on the par-5 sixth hole when he drove into the water.

Kirk won The Honda Classic in a playoff just four days ago, a monumental win for the 37-year-old from Georgia who stepped away from the PGA TOUR to seek help for alcoholism and depression.

It has been nonstop ever since — the Seminole Pro-Member on Monday, the drive north to Orlando and golf at Isleworth with longtime friend Charlie Culberson of the Tampa Bay Rays, the pro-am Wednesday and then one of the toughest tests on the Florida swing.

He was up to the task with a round that started and ended with a bogey and featured seven birdies in between.

“I’ve definitely been busy, and so 5:30 came early this morning and felt strange a little bit, like, ‘OK, we’re really doing this all over again.’ So felt a little bit out of in the very beginning, but then settled in and played some solid golf,” Kirk said.

It helped to hole a pair of 30-foot birdie putts, but otherwise he looked as though he didn’t want to wait another eight years for his next win.

Young is waiting for his first, and it’s hard to imagine this kind of talent waiting much longer. He had two close calls in the majors last year, including a 31 on the back nine of St. Andrews to finish one back at The Open Championship.

Young has a connection to Bay Hill. His father, David, recently retired as the longtime head pro at Sleepy Hollow in New York, and they occasionally spent weeks during the winter in Orlando at nearby Orange Tree. Young played Bay Hill every so often as a teenager.

“The golf course in tournament shape is a different animal when the rough gets like this and the green gets firms,” Young said.

That’s not to suggest he had his way with Bay Hill when it wasn’t set up for the PGA TOUR.

“It’s not easy as it is,” he said. “And I wasn’t quite as good then.”

Bay Hill figures to be as tough as ever if a strong wind arrives. Players were having a tough time finding pitch marks on the green during the Wednesday pro-am.

“We’ll see what happens on these greens,” Scheffler said. “It better not blow too hard or they may need to slow them down or something. I really don’t know what they’re going to do.”

For now, the bigger concern might be how to stop Rahm.

Related Articles

Share

About Author

(0) Readers Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.