Kurt Kitayama looks good in red, Jon Rahm is human – Five things we learned from the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Kitayama can mix it with the best of them

When Kurt Kitayama’s ball finally found the bottom of the cup on his seventh attempt at the par-4 9th hole, he could have been forgiven for accepting it wasn’t going to be his day.

In a flash, his hard-earned, two-shot lead vanished and he slipped down a leaderboard featuring some of the world’s best players in the form of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth – all of whom know how to get the job done on the PGA Tour.

But to that list, we can now add Kitayama. The 30-year-old steadied the ship and followed a clutch birdie on No. 17 with another stunning effort on the final hole to set up the easiest-ever putt to win a title – and his first in this exalted company.

“It was really hard,” said the champion. “I’m going to sleep really well tonight. It was everything I kind of mentally prepared myself for. It was pretty much as hard as I expected. I’ve always dreamed of winning on tour and to finally do it, it’s pretty amazing. It’s pretty unbelievable, really.”

Jon Rahm is fallible

Okay, okay, maybe a T35 finish doesn’t spell the end of Jon Rahm’s recent dominance but his failure to follow up a sparkling opening round 65 will at least offer some hope to the rest of the field teeing it up at TPC Sawgrass this week for The Players Championship.

The Spaniard looked on course for what would have been his fourth PGA Tour title of the year after taking a two-shot lead in Round 1 but the Bay Hill layout snapped back and consecutive rounds of 76 scuppered his latest challenge. Those are his highest round scores since the PGA Championship in May last year.

Asked to reflect on the turnaround in his fortunes last Friday, Rahm told reporters: “Excuse my language, but it’s f****** hard. It’s firm, it’s fast and it’s blowing 30mph. It’s a very difficult golf course.”

However, it proved enough for him to hold onto the keenly-contested World No. 1 spot with nearest rivals Scottie Scheffler (T4) and Rory McIlroy (T2) unable to do enough to overhaul him.

Every day is Hovland day

We’re already fully paid-up members of the Viktor Hovland fan club (so are our colleagues in Norway) – and he will have no doubt secured some more supporters this past week with some incredible highlights.

Pick of the bunch was the 25-year-old’s hole-in-one at the par-three 7th during Friday’s second round at Bay Hill – incredibly it was the fourth in his fledgling PGA Tour career and the third in less than a year following his aces at the 2022 BMW Championship and the 2022 Players Championship.

The world No. 11 had already lit up social media earlier in the week with a stunning eagle hole out on No. 10 during Thursday’s opening round – and it was his first hole of the tournament!

His tee shot had found the semi-rough but that proved no barrier to his brilliance with his wedge approach from just shy of 100 yards finishing at the bottom of the cup.

And let’s not forget the not-too-shabby bunker hole out during Saturday’s third round!

Those heroics propelled him into the final pairing for Sunday’s final round but he would have to eventually settle for a share of 8th place.

Always check the leaderboards!

If you find yourself playing in the final round of a PGA Tour event always make sure to check a leaderboard if you see one – just ask Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman finished just one shot off eventual winner Kitayama but he could have been celebrating his second title of the year had he spared a moment to check the leaderboard at one crucial moment during his round.

McIlroy was six shots off the lead when he made the turn on Sunday, so his mind could be forgiven for drifting, but he was in the lead by one shot as he teed it up on the 14th – the only problem was he didn’t know.

He then proceeded to produce his worst swing of the day which eventually resulted in a costly bogey that dropped him back into a four-way tie for the lead. It is a moment that he desperately wishes he could have again after narrowly missing out on the title.

“If I look back on today the one thing I’ll rue is the tee shot on 14,” McIlroy told reporters post-round. “I birdied 13 and got to the 14th tee, and I honestly thought I was still like one or two behind the leader. As I was walking to the 14th green, I looked behind me at the scoreboard, and I was leading by one.

“And if I had known that, I wouldn’t have tried to play the shot that I played on 14, which was unfortunate, but I ended up making a bogey there and then a bad swing off the tee on 15 and a bogey.”

Tiger Woods is going nowhere just yet

Tiger Woods may not have been competing at Bay Hill – where he has previously won on an incredible eight occasions – but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t making news.

It may not have been the man himself but such is his ongoing influence on the game, a mere mention of the man is enough to generate headlines – especially if the man speaking is Jack Nicklaus.

Speaking to Nick Faldo on his new podcast, Nicklaus revealed Tiger’s intention to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

“He wants to play the senior tour,” said Nicklaus, who we can safely assume has a solid source.

It’s the clearest indication yet that Woods is intent on competing for some time yet as he is still almost three years away from reaching the 50-years-of-age qualification criteria.

With Woods’ appearances sadly rare in the wake of his car accident, this is great news for all – except perhaps for those hoping to challenge for titles on the seniors’ tour.

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