Orlando--Sweden's third-ranked Henrik Stenson went four-under on the last four holes to grab a two-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational while Rory McIlroy's charge fizzled.
Stenson sank a 13-foot birdie putt at 15, eagled the par-5 16th with a 20-foot putt and dropped his approach inches from the cup at 18 for a tap-in birdie to finish a six-under par 66 and stand on 16-under 200 at the $6.3 million US PGA Tour event.
"Pretty nice way to finish," Stenson said. "What I've done has put me in a nice position but it has got to be done all over again tomorrow. I've got to go out there and keep the same mindset."
It was the second day in a row Stenson went four-under over the final four holes. He matched the low 54-hole total at Bay Hill first recorded by Andy Bean in 1981.
"I just hit some great shots two days in a row," Stenson said. "You're going to pick up some shots if you go 4-under two days in a row on the last four."
American Morgan Hoffmann, who led after the first and second rounds in quest of his first tour title, fired a 71 to stand second on 202, one stroke ahead of Australian Matt Jones and Americans Jason Kokrak, Ben Martin and defending champion Matt Every.
Stenson, trying to snap a run of eight US PGA losses by 54-hole leaders, knows the layout well, living in the area, and his bogey-free round also featured birdies at the par-5 sixth and par-4 ninth holes.
World number one McIlroy, who could win his third major title in a row and complete a career grand slam with a victory in next month's Masters, pulled within one shot of the lead with back-to-back birdies only to bogey the next three holes.
McIlroy had a tap-in birdie at the par-5 sixth and chipped in a 22-footer from just off the green for birdie at the ninth. After birdies at 12 and 13, he was just one adrift.
But McIlroy's charge collapsed. He missed a 10-foot par putt at the par-3 14th and a three-foot par putt at 15, then went into a fairway bunker and missed a seven-foot par putt at 16 for his third bogey in a row. He fired a 71 to stand seven behind Stenson.
Jones, who defends his lone US PGA title in two weeks at the Houston Open, closed with four birdies in a row, including a 75-footer at the par-3 17th.
It was a historic day of shotmaking at Bay Hill as Daniel Berger made the first albatross in tournament history at the par-5 sixth, the American holing out from the fairway with a stunning 237-yard shot on his way to shooting 68.
AFP
