:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/NTEUPLR73T2ROEJ56IX2UBUCRI.jpg "Kitayama emerges brilliantly in thrilling Bay Hill finale 1")
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kurt Kitayama brought a group of All-Star contenders to life with a triple bogey, only to defeat them with a key birdie and putt of his life to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational Tournament on Sunday.
With five players tied for the lead with three holes to play, Kitayama birdied the lead with a 15-foot putt on the par-3 17th hole to take the lead. Then a 50-foot putt on the last hole fell inches from the cut.
A shot for a round of 72 might have been the easiest he’s had all day.
Rory McIlroy charged into the fray with four birdies over a span of five holes, only to miss a small birdie on the last that would have given him the lead. He shot 70 and finished one shot behind. So did Harris English, who went bogey-free all weekend, on a crisp, windy Bay Hill run to shoot 70.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler came within a foot of a birdie chance for the lead. Instead, his ball came back into the rough in the 18th and ended in a bogey.
Jordan Spieth was among six players who had at least a chance to lead over the past two hours. He missed four putts, between holes 14 and 17, including three for par. He took the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt, then played the final five holes at 3-over. Spieth (70), Scheffler (73), Patrick Cantlay (68) and Tyrrell Hatton (72) all finished two strokes behind.