AP Photo/John Raoux
The 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational is coming down to the wire.
Billy Horschel and Talor Gooch are tied for the lead at seven under overall following a tough day on the course for most of the field. No golfer finished with a round better than four under, and only 16 players posted an under-par score overall.
Viktor Hovland, who at one point Saturday was leading the field by four strokes, fell apart with an ugly back nine that featured four bogeys. He’s one stroke behind Horschel and Gooch overall at six under.
Scottie Scheffler, alone in fourth place at five under for the tournament, has the most momentum heading into Sunday. He matched the day’s best score of 68 and closed with a jaw-dropping 31 on the back nine, highlighted by a 21-foot eagle putt on No. 16.
Gary Woodland rounds out the top five at four under.
Rory McIlroy remains in striking distance after a frustrating third-round 76. A wild afternoon saw McIlroy record three birdies, five bogeys and a double as he played scattered golf throughout the day. The back nine was particularly up and down, with McIlroy seemingly finding his way one minute before a collapse on the next hole.
The nadir of his round came at No. 15, which featured an out-of-bounds tee shot that caused him to finish with a double-bogey six. He would immediately birdie No. 16 only to give that stroke away on the next hole, and then another stroke at No. 18.
After shooting a brilliant seven-under 65 in Round 1, McIlroy has turned in two less-than-stellar performances to sit four strokes off the lead. He’ll need an overnight return to brilliance to pick up his first win of the 2022 calendar year.
Horschel and Gooch managed to sit atop the leaderboard with consistency rather than any brilliant individual round. The pair of leaders, Woodland and Russell Henley (-2) are the only four players in the entire field who have not carded an over-par round 54 holes into the event.
Horschel is looking for his first win since taking home the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play last March. He has not won a stroke-play event since 2018.
Gooch, in the middle of an ascendent start to the 2022 season, won November’s RSM Classic for his first PGA triumph. He is currently the projected leader of the 2022 FedEx Cup standings.
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