Henrik Stenson of Sweden finished with another flourish at Bay Hill on Saturday and seized control of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
It was the second straight day that Stenson played the final four holes in four-under par.
Two shots behind, he made a 12-foot birdie on the 15th hole, a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-five 16th and finished with a pitching wedge that plopped down 2 feet from the 18th hole for a six-under 66.
Photo: AFP
That gave Stenson a two-shot lead over Morgan Hoffmann, who stumbled on the front nine, recovered with three birdies in four holes and then stalled at the end for a 71.
Stenson, the No. 3 player in the world, was at 16-under 200.
Six players were separated by three shots going into yesterday’s final round, a group that includes defending champion Matt Every.
JTBC FOUNDERS CUP
AP, PHOENIX, Arizona
Kim Hyo-joo took the third-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s JTBC Founders Cup, finishing another long day at Desert Ridge in the dark on the 18th green.
The 19-year-old South Korean player shot a six-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead over 2013 winner Stacy Lewis.
Kim made three straight birdies — the last with a 25-foot putt on the par-four 16th — and closed with two pars to finish at 16-under 200.
Kim holed her one-and-a-half-foot par putt at 6:51pm — 11 minutes after sunset.
Lewis shot a 67.
Alison Lee and second-round leader Kim Kaufman were third at 13-under. The 20-year-old Lee matched the course record with a 63, while Kaufman had a 70.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 12-under after a 69.
Taiwan’s Lee Min hit a 74 to finish tied for 52nd on five-under.
MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
AP, SANTO ANTONIO DA SERRA, Portugal
Bad weather has forced organizers to reduce the Madeira Islands Open to 36 holes for a second straight year.
Organizers said that continued heavy rain falling on the Portuguese archipelago maintained flooding on the Clube de Golf Santo da Serra course. Heavy winds prevented the first round from starting on Thursday and rain interrupted play on Friday.
Denmark’s Joachim Hansen holds a one-shot lead with several golfers yet to finish their opening round.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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