Former Baylor School and University of Georgia standout Keith Mitchell watches his shot from the rough along the ninth fairway at Bay Hill on Friday during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. Mitchell won the Honda Classic this past Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory.
Former Baylor School standout Luke List hits out of pine needles and onto the 16th fairway during the third round of the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.ORLANDO, Fla. - Francesco Molinari had seen so many clutch birdie putts on the 18th green at Bay Hill, most of them by Tiger Woods in the final group, usually with Arnold Palmer standing next to the green and expecting, like everyone else, that they would go in.
It was Molinari's turn Sunday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with a few big differences.
This putt was from 45 feet, longer than anything Woods ever made. And while it capped off an 8-under-par 64 and eventually gave Molinari a two-shot victory, the 2018 British Open champion had to wait nearly two hours to see if his score would hold up.
One more difference.
"I was the first to make it with the flag in," Molinari said with a big smile, alluding to a new rule that allows the flag stick to stay in the cup with putts on the green.
All that mattered was that it dropped, capping a five-shot rally with a final round no one imagined on a fast course with putting surfaces that looked closer to white than green and made it difficult for anyone to get the ball close to the hole. Molinari finished at 12-under 276 for his fourth victory in his past 17 starts, a nine-month stretch.
"He's obviously holed a lot of putts to do that, because you can't get close to these pins," Matt Fitzpatrick, the 54-hole leader, said after shooting a 71 to finish alone in second. "There's no way he's knocked it to six feet on every hole. But he played very, very well to shoot that, and hat's off to him."
Rafa Cabrera Bello (69), Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Sungjae Im (68) tied for third at 9 under.
Three of the four former Baylor School golfers on the PGA Tour were in the field at Bay Hill. All made the cut, and Keith Mitchell and Luke List were part of the pack of contenders in the final round before each settled for a top-10 finish.
Mitchell, who was coming off his first PGA Tour victory the Sunday before at the Honda Classic, surged with birdies on six of his first nine holes in the final round, and he added two more on the back nine to offset two bogeys and close with a 68 that made him the clubhouse leader for a while at 8 under.
He wound up sharing sixth with Sung Kang (68), Rory McIlroy (72) and Matt Wallace (72), but the 27-year-old Chattanooga native who now calls the Georgia coast home added some momentum as he steps closer to his first appearance at the Masters. Mitchell, who earned $294,613 and 89 FedEx Cup points at Bay Hill, booked his trip to Augusta with the Honda Classic victory.
On Sunday, he secured a major invitation that will require a flight across the Atlantic, with his finish putting him in the British Open this July at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Im and Kang also earned spots through their play at Bay Hill, with the tournament part of the Open Qualifying Series.
There was a five-way tie for 10th at 7 under, with List (71) matched by Byeong Hun An (68), Lucas Glover (69), Jason Kokrak (70) and Adam Long (67). Each earned $209,300 and 65 FedEx Cup points.
Baylor graduate Harris English (78) was 68th at 7 over.
On the fast and furious Sunday, Fitzpatrick managed only two birdies, the same number as McIlroy, who played in the final group for the third time in five starts this year without winning.
Molinari delivered the highest quality on a day that required nothing less. His five-shot comeback was the largest at Bay Hill since Woods in the 2009 tournament, which he won with a birdie from 15 feet on the 18th hole.
Molinari played the final 28 holes on this fiery course without a bogey, only three of his eight birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and he ended it with a charge that would have made Arnie proud.
No one got closer than two shots the whole time Molinari was in the locker room watching the back nine, which was harder than he made his golf look.
"Coming from Italy, we weren't exposed to that much golf," Molinari said. "Obviously, Arnie was such a global icon, and this tournament was one that we watched, my brother and myself, at home many times - watching Tiger making that putt on 18. So it's still a bit unreal to think that I've done kind of the same today."
Eagle lands playoff win for Kirk Triplett
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Kirk Triplett made a 12-foot eagle putt on the second hole of a playoff with Woody Austin to win the Hoag Classic for his seventh PGA Tour Champions victory.
The 56-year-old Triplett forced the playoff with a similar left-to-right breaker for birdie on the par-5 18th, then matched Austin with a par on their first extra trip down the tree-lined hole.
Playing in the same group, Austin and Triplett each closed with a 3-under 68 to finish at 10-under 203 at Newport Beach Country Club.
Scott McCarron (68) and Jeff Maggert (65) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Fran Quinn, three strokes ahead entering the round, had a 74 to tie for fifth with Steve Flesch (69) and Paul Goydos (68).
Chattanooga's Gibby Gilbert III tied for 54th at 1 over after closing with a 69, his best round of the event.
Justin Harding finishes strong at Qatar Masters
DOHA, Qatar - Justin Harding birdied three of the last four holes at Doha Golf Club to win the Qatar Masters by two strokes and earn his first European Tour title.
The 33-year-old South African, a two-time winner on both the Asian Tour and the Sunshine Tour in 2018, closed with a 6-under 66 to finish at 13-under 275. Harding is projected to move just outside the top 50 when the World Golf Ranking is updated today. Golfers in the top 50 as of April 1 will receive an invitation to the Masters, the year's first major.
A European Tour-record nine golfers shared second, including 54-hole leader Oliver Wilson, who closed with a 71 for the worst final round among the runners-up.
The highest finishing American was Kurt Kitayama, a 26-year-old rookie who has already won twice this season. He closed with a 72 and tied for 20th at 7 under.