Jason Day atop Arnold Palmer Invite; red-hot Adam Scott 1 shot behind
Jason Day felt he was playing better. He finally had a score to show for it Thursday at Bay Hill.
Day one-putted his last seven holes, including a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th to take the lead and two tough par saves at the end for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Among those one shot behind was Adam Scott, which was no surprise. Scott is the hottest player in golf, coming off two straight victories at the Honda Classic and the Cadillac Championship at Doral, and he played bogey-free in benign weather and on a course where no blade of grass seems to be out of place.
Thanks to pushed-up tee times and some luck with the weather, the 76 players in the field managed to dodge a sizable storm Saturday and complete Round 3 at Bay Hill, where Jason Day will take a two-shot lead over Henrik Stenson, Troy Merritt and Kevin Chappell into the final round. Here’s where things stand through 54 holes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Jason Day struggles, but wins Arnold Palmer Invitational with late rally
Jason Day shook the King’s hand and picked Tiger’s brain. We’d say he had himself a full week.
Fighting his golf swing and the attendant frustrations of losing a lead he had held since Thursday night, Day had to conjure a level of resourcefulness one would expect from a former No. 1 player in the world. He didn’t disappoint. He charged like Arnold Palmer. He finished like Tiger Woods.
With a clutch birdie at the difficult par-3 17th followed by a sand-save par routed circuitously along Bay Hill Club’s arduous 18th hole, Day captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational with considerably less than his best game. But he certainly displayed his best attribute – resiliency.