ORLANDO, Florida — Jason Day, seeking his eighth PGA Tour victory, rebounded from a stumbling start to preserve a two-shot lead after Saturday’s rain-soaked third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational here.
Two ahead overnight, the world No. 3 bogeyed the par-three second after finding a bunker off the tee but birdied three of the next six holes on the way to a two-under 70 at a soggy Bay Hill.
Though Day also bogeyed the 11th, he broke two strokes clear of a tightly bunched leaderboard with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 16th before parring the last two holes to post a 15-under total of 201.
“I feel like I stayed patient to grind out a two-under par,” Day told reporters after playing through several rain showers to maintain the lead he has held from the opening round.
“It’s good to be back in contention. I love the feeling of being in the lead. Now I have to push forward until Sunday is done.”
Day is seeking to become just the second Australian winner at Bay Hill, after Rod Pampling in 2006, and the first wire-to-wire winner since Fred Couples in 1992.
Long-hitting Day, who won his first major title at last year’s PGA Championship, has been superb on the greens all week at Bay Hill and needed just 26 putts in the third round.
Swede Henrik Stenson, who briefly led by one after sinking a 13-foot putt to eagle the par-five sixth before rain swept across the course, returned a 70 to share second place at 13-under with Americans Troy Merritt (67) and Kevin Chappell (67).
Stenson is seeking redemption for last year, when he led deep into the final round before three-putting the 15th and 16th holes.
Former US Open champion Justin Rose of England (71) was tied for fifth at 11-under with American Derek Fathauer (69) while Australian Adam Scott, seeking a third straight victory, tripled-bogeyed the last for a 70 to fall nine strokes behind.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy mixed three birdies with three double-bogeys to card 75 and fall a distant 16 strokes off the pace.
Ji jumps into Founders lead
South Korea’s Kim Sei-young dropped two shots on her last three holes and was replaced at the top of the leaderboard by compatriot Ji Eun-hee in the third round of the JTBC Founders Cup Saturday.
Ji shot a bogey-free 65 to move to 18-under-par at the Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona, one shot ahead of 2015 rookie of the year Kim (70) and American Stacy Lewis, who carded a 64.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko and Spaniard Carlota Ciganda also shot 64 to move into contention at 15-under.
Kim drained a 25-foot eagle putt from the front fringe of the par-4 13 to move two shots clear but failed to pick up a birdie at the straightforward par-5 15th and then made bogeys at 16 and 17 to close with a two-under-par 70.
Ji, who has won twice on the LPGA Tour, birdied three of her final five holes for an 18-under 198 total and has had just one bogey through 54 holes.
Lewis, who needed 33 putts in the first round, continued to reap the benefits from switching putter. She needed just 25 putts in the second round and 28 in the third.
American Jacqui Concolino was alone in fourth at 16-under after a 68. — Agencies
