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Golf: Hatton grabs lead but McIlroy lurks at brutal Bay Hill

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/03/08/golf.jpg"/><figcaption>Tyrrell Hatton putts on the sixth green during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill Club &amp; Lodge. Reinhold Matay, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters.</figcaption></figure></div>MIAMI -- Britain&#x27;s Tyrrell Hatton fired a one-over par 73 in a brutal third round at windy Bay Hill to seize a two-stroke lead Saturday at the US PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational.The 28-year-old Englishman, playing only his second tournament since right wrist surgery in November, closed with a dramatic 31-foot birdie putt -- only the day&#x27;s third birdie at 18 -- to stand on six-under 210.&quot;It was extremely tough out there,&quot; Hatton said. &quot;You could be made to look pretty silly at times without hitting too bad a golf shot. It was just amazing how much firmer the greens got throughout the day.&quot;Top-ranked Rory McIlroy was hot on his heels after a difficult day in Orlando where the scoring average soared to 76.&quot;It felt like a US Open out there, so yeah, it was a good test,&quot; McIlroy said. &quot;I&#x27;m trying to enjoy it as much as I can.&quot;Four-time major winner McIlroy, seeking a sixth consecutive top-five finish, shot 73 to share second on 212 with Australian Marc Leishman.Another stroke back were South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korean Im Sung-jae, New Zealand&#x27;s Danny Lee and American Harris English. None cracked par.&quot;I don&#x27;t think anyone enjoyed that today,&quot; Hatton said. &quot;It was just so hard.&quot;Hatton opened with a bogey but answered with a birdie at the third on a 22-foot hole-out from the fringe.Hatton stumbled with a three-putt double bogey six at the ninth after finding a greenside bunker, sank a 28-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th then fell back again with bogeys at 14 and 15.&quot;Most of the holes were crosswinds, so it was just so hard to get close,&quot; Hatton said. &quot;When the greens are as firm as they are, you&#x27;ve got no chance getting anywhere near some of the pins.&quot;A tap-in birdie after a 33-foot eagle putt miss at the par-5 16th and the dramatic closing putt lifted Hatton into the lead, which matched the highest score to lead entering the final round in 42 years at Bay Hill.&quot;I was very happy that dropped,&quot; said Hatton of 18. &quot;Even though I tapped that putt it was probably going about eight feet past. It was scary how quick that thing was.&quot;Hatton chases his first US PGA title but owns four European Tour victories, the most recent at last November&#x27;s Turkish Airlines Open.&quot;There&#x27;s doubles and triples just around the corner, so that two-shot lead can go extremely quickly,&quot; Hatton said. &quot;So for me there&#x27;s nothing to get excited about.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/golf/news/2020/03/08/hatton-2-shot-lead-hardest-day-bay-hill-since-83-66838">READ: Hatton has 2-shot lead on hardest day at Bay Hill since &#x27;83</a></li></ul><div>- Leishman climbs -</div>McIlroy, who defends his Players Championship title next week, found a bunker at the par-3 second and missed a five-foot par putt.But the 30-year-old Northern Ireland star rescued par from 18 feet at the third after blasting out of a greenside bunker and salvaged another par from the sand with an eight-foot putt at 11.McIlroy, seeking his second Bay Hill title in three seasons, was just short on a 30-foot eagle bid at the par-5 16th. He tapped in for birdie to share the lead only to stumble at 18, finding left rough and rocks right of the green en route to a bogey.&quot;I feel good with my game,&quot; McIlroy said. &quot;Tomorrow it&#x27;s all about keeping the big numbers off your card and trying to play as conservative as possible and pick up some birdies on the par-5s if you can.&quot;Leishman, who won his fifth US PGA title in January at Torrey Pines, birdied the par-5 sixth and 12th holes while making bogeys at the par-4 10th and 15th.&quot;Today&#x27;s is probably as hard as I&#x27;ve seen this place play, which I enjoy,&quot; Leishman said. &quot;It felt like I shot 65 not 72.&quot;Lee made an astonishing birdie at 12 after finding a bush left of the green with his second shot. He took a penalty drop on the 13th tee then holed out from 208 feet, lofting a shot over a tree onto the green and into the cup.<div> © Agence France-Presse</div>(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>).

Britain's Tyrrell Hatton fired a one-over par 73 in a brutal third round at windy Bay Hill to seize a two-stroke lead Saturday at the US PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Britain's Tyrrell Hatton fired a one-over par 73 in a brutal third round at windy Bay Hill to seize a two-stroke lead Saturday at the US PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational.