McIlroy primed to pounce at Bay Hill after sparkling moving day
EAGLE EYE: Rory McIlroy watches hit shot from the first fairway during his third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. Pic: AP Photo/John Raoux
Rory McIlroy delivered a Saturday surge to climb right into contention on moving day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational — but the Irishman was far from alone.
Ryder Cup teammates Viktor Hovland and Tyrell Hatton and World No.2 Scottie Scheffler all matched McIlroy with sparkling third rounds in Bay Hill to set up a mouthwatering decisive Sunday.
McIlroy shot a four-under-par 68 to jump up the leaderboard into a tie for fifth on six-under. However Scheffler and Hovland are two shots better off and halfway leader Kurt Kitayama birdied the last of an eventful third round to sit one clear of the field on nine-under.
McIlroy made the most of his early lunchtime third round tee time in Orlando firing four birdies in a blemish-free 68 that could have been even more impressive. The Holywood native picked up his first birdie of the day on the par-five fourth and added another on the long sixth. He moved further up the leaderboard soon after the turn with a birdie on the par-four 10th and added one more on the long 16th.
Hatton and Hovland were also faultless in their third rounds but hunted even more pins as both shot six-under 66s, leaving the Englishman one off the Norwegian's clubhouse mark on seven-under.
It was all in stark contrast to the halfway leaders who toiled in the later tee times. Frontrunner Kitayama endured a jittery front nine including a double bogey seven on the fourth. The American steadied the ship impressively after the turn, carding four birdies for an even-par 72 which left him right back where he started, atop the pile on nine-under.
Kitayama's playing partner Jordan Spieth carded three bogeys in his first five hole to also tumble down the leaderboard while the penultimate Saturday pairing of Canadian Corey Conners and American Xander Schauffele were no better, both shooting 75s.
Padraig Harrington had impressively navigated his way around Bay Hill and looked to be in a solid position among the top 20 until disaster struck on the 18th when he carded a double-bogey six for an even-par 72 which moved him back down to a tie for 31st.
However the veteran's day was nonetheless a whole lot more palatable than younger compatriots Seamus Power and Shane Lowry who had Saturdays to swiftly forget in the Florida sun.
Power added three back-nine bogeys to a messy double-bogey seven on the sixth to card a four-over 76 which left him on six-over overall. Alongside him was Lowry who laboured to an ugly eight-over 80 that included two triple bogeys before the turn and three more bogeys in the Offaly man's final four holes.
