With one hole remaining in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, there were as many as five players who had a chance to claim the title – and the $US3.6 million prizemoney payout – in the PGA Tour’s latest “designated” event.
As far as front nines go for a 54-hole leader, Kurt Kitayama’s was as smooth as they come on Sunday at Bay Hill. Well, at least it was for the front eight.
The 12-month odyssey to win once more and claim her 14th career LPGA title was one that pushed the 27-year-old South Korean star unlike any other time in her impressive professional career.
Kitayama has a career milestone in his sights after a gutsy even-par 72 in the third round that kept him at nine-under and atop the leaderboard at Bay Hill.
Veteran James Hahn has put the hard feelings out in the open in an interview with Golfweek, even calling out Tiger Woods for making big money from the tour despite rarely competing.
Kurt Kitiyama has some experience being on the first page of the leaderboard on the weekend. He also knows what it’s like to battle with some of the game’s best late on Sunday. He’s confident those experiences will work to his advantage as he enters the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth after a crafty four-under-par 68 on Friday at breezy Bay Hill.
If you missed out on the Phil Mickelson tournament-winning putter that sold for $44,000 at auction late last year, you might have another chance—and even get a discount.
The drastic changes to the PGA Tour plans for its $20 million designated events announced on Wednesday were largely welcomed by stars such as Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott, and even last week’s feel-good story at the Honda Classic, rookie Eric Cole. But there also were mixed feelings expressed about the exclusiveity of the events and how quickly things are moving.