ORLANDO, Fla. — The PGA Tour is on an absolute heater.
The final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday at Bay Hill figures to fall in line with what has been happening for the past month or so, which is to say it’s going to be must-see-TV.
You want storylines?
If we asked for any more storylines entering the final round, it would be gluttonous.
Kurt Kitayama, who led after 36 holes at 9-under, leads after 54 holes on the same number after shooting 72 in the third round on Saturday, highlighted by a birdie on 18 to close out the day.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, the defending champion and winner of the Waste Management Open last month in Phoenix, is tied for second with Viktor Hovland at 8-under.
On a sun-baked, 90-degree day, Scheffler shot a 4-under 68 in the third round. Hovland, the bright-eyed, personable Norwegian seeking the biggest victory of his career, shot a 6-under 66. Kitayama shot a 1-over 73.
Those three are trailed by 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Tyrrell Hatton, who shot 66 on Saturday. Rory McIlroy, the 2018 winner here and the No. 3-ranked player in the world, is 6-under after shooting 68.
McIlroy, who like Scheffler has a chance to overtake Jon Rahm for the No. 1 ranking by Sunday night, has deftly shrugged off his opening-round 73 and is 7-under in the past two rounds.
Among the players at 5-under and very much in the mix are Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Cameron Young, the pride of Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor, is also in contention at 4-under, as is Max Homa, who has been one of the up-and-coming stars of late.
After a run of recent PGA Tour events in which Scheffler defended his title in Phoenix, Rahm staved off Homa at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and even the Honda Classic won last week by Chris Kirk, his first win since getting help for his alcoholism, yet another fascinating final round awaits Sunday at Bay Hill.
The leaderboard is positively delicious.
“That’s what we’re trying to do here,’’ McIlroy said, taking a veiled shot at the rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. “You have Scottie Scheffler and Rahmbo [Rahm] in Phoenix. You had Rahmbo and Max Homa in L.A. You’ve got a ton of big names up here. It’s great to see the big names playing well and playing well all at the same golf courses in the same tournaments.
“I think, for a player, for us to get that thrill of getting up, going up against each other like week after week, that’s really cool.’’
Of his own game, McIlroy said: “Any time you can go bogey-free on the weekend at Bay Hill you’re doing something right. I got myself right into the tournament, into the thick of it.’’
Hatton said the red cardigan, the cherished Arnold Palmer signature sweater that’s given to the API winner every year, “is hung up proudly in my wardrobe here in Orlando.’’
“It would obviously be amazing to get a second one,’’ Hatton said. “But there’s still 18 holes to play. I would like to think that I’ve given myself a good chance going into [Sunday]. That’s all I really could have hoped for was to have a great round and we’ll see what happens.
“To win this event, it’s such an iconic event for the PGA Tour, and certainly for my first win it’s pretty special. It means a lot to me … especially when I see [the cardigan] hung up in the wardrobe I always have a good feeling looking at it.’’
Scheffler echoed McIlroy’s public service announcement for the PGA Tour and marveled at the leaderboard.
“That’s what’s exciting about our new schedule,’’ Scheffler said. “I think we’re going to have a lot more of this stuff.’’
Asked what he expects on Sunday, Scheffler said: “Another challenging day. I think it’s going to be a great battle. There’s a lot of talented players on the leaderboard. You got Viktor, obviously, who plays great around this golf course and he’s a proven winner out here. Then you got Kurt’s up there on the board. He may not be a household name here, but he’s won a bunch times worldwide. JT up there. I saw Jordan. I mean I’m going to miss a few guys, but there’s a lot of guys up there.’’
