Michael Kim’s fine form shows no sign of letting up. The ever-popular American is five under and five shots back of the lead heading into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Since finishing runner-up at the WM Phoenix Open, Kim has placed inside the top 15 three times and finished sixth at last week’s Cognizant Classic.
Kim has been working on his short game with Joe Mayo, and the 31-year-old has seen significant improvement. Kim currently ranks sixth for scrambling on the PGA Tour and 20th for strokes gained around the greens.
A victory is now required for Kim to announce himself among the world’s elite players. However, he will have to produce his best golf if he’s to chase down leader Collin Morikawa (ten under) at Bay Hill. Morikawa is chasing his first win since 2023.
What Michael Kim noticed about the 10th hole at Bay Hill
Arnie’s track has proven a stern examination all week, with the greens, in particular, proving challenging. During the third round, Kim admitted that the tenth green was pretty much dead.
“These greens are pretty crazy,” Kim said.
“They are crusty. I don’t know; I feel like the tenth green might be dead just the fertilizer’s the only thing that’s keeping it alive, but barely. Bob and I hit. I feel like we hit decent putts, and they went eight feet by pretty quickly.
“So it’s just the greens; it’s really hard to get aggressive with them just because you know you’re going to have six or seven feet coming back. So you have to play pretty conservative putts, and it’s just hard to make sometimes.”
Kim was playing alongside Scottish star Bob MacIntyre on Saturday, and the lefty has given himself a chance heading into the final round.
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Bob MacIntyre six shots back
MacIntyre picked up three shots on the front nine before adding one more to his scorecard on the back nine. The European Ryder Cup ace ended up signing for a 68 (four under). With strong winds set to play a part on Sunday, MacIntyre could be well suited to the challenge.
Elsewhere, Russell Henley is one shot back of leader Morikawa. The USA Presidents Cup star made four birdies in a row on the back nine to fly up the leaderboard.
Jason Day is seven under, three shots back, and Tony Finau joins Kim at five under. At the other end of the leaderboard, world number three Xander Schauffele is propping up the field. The two-time major winner is making only his second appearance of the season and is clearly still getting back up to pace.
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