Arnold Palmer Invitational 2015: Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights from Saturday

With just 18 holes left to play at the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational, there still is no clear favorite among the field. Morgan Hoffmann entered the third round in the lead, but he finds himself two shots behind and looking up at Henrik Stenson's 16-under par. 

The rest of the leaderboard is a jumbled mess, in a good way, with 11 total players sitting at 10 under par or better heading into Sunday's final round. This is also shaping up to feature one of the lowest-scoring winners in years, as no one has broken 13-under since Rod Pampling won with a 14-under in 2006. 

Here's a look at the leaderboard as it stands following the third round:

Stenson was having a solid day before the 15th hole, then he vaulted into the lead by going birdie-eagle on consecutive holes and added a birdie on 17 for good measure. Closing strong has been a theme for the 38-year-old, who ended the second round with four consecutive birdies. PGA Tour weighed in on the stretch:

The PGA Tour also tweeted out a video of Stenson's eagle that put him atop the leaderboard:

If you're looking for consistency, Stenson is the player to watch. He's finished fourth in the last two events at Doral and Innisbrook. Now, he's 18 holes from capturing his first PGA Tour victory since the 2013 Tour Championship. 

Speaking of consistency, per Golf Central, Stenson's shot 66 in back-to-back rounds:

As long as Stenson doesn't try anything too fancy on Sunday, he's going to win. After starting with a 68 on Thursday, he's only gotten better and more comfortable at Bay Hill. 

The big mover on Saturday was Jason Kokrak, who tied for the best round with a seven-under 65 that put him at 13 under for the tournament. The 29-year-old was spotless, with zero bogeys in his round. 

Kokrak has been steadily ascending all season, particularly this month. He missed the cut at the Honda Classic, came back to finish seventh at the Valspar Championship and is now in position to win his first PGA Tour event after two victories on the Nationwide Tour.

As the PGA Tour noted on Twitter, Kokrak has been one of the best at getting off to a fast start this season:

Finding consistency through four rounds has been a problem for him, but right now, everything is coming up roses for the Canadian-born star. After the round, Kokrak seemed pleased with his accomplishment, via the Arnold Palmer Invitational's official Twitter account:

Kiradech Aphibarnrat was the other player to fire a 65 on Saturday, also going bogey-free with seven birdies to have an outside shot at a win on Sunday. It will take a lot of work since he's just at 10 under par, but it's hardly impossible after what happened in the third round. 

Another player lurking in the shadows with a steeper climb on Sunday is Rory McIlroy, who continues to settle into a groove in his final event before The Masters. 

The world's top-ranked player didn't fully capitalize on his 66 from Friday, but another round under par with a 71 is still encouraging. Things did turn sour on the back nine when he hit three consecutive bogeys from 14 through 16 to push him down the leaderboard. 

Before that, there were several good shots for McIlroy, one of which was an excellent chip on the ninth hole captured by the PGA Tour's official Twitter account:

You can sense everything starting to fall in place for McIlroy with each passing round, which is something he talked about after the second round, via Phil Casey of The Independent:

"

It would have been nice to finish the round off a little better, but it’s still a good score and sets me up for the weekend. Each day I am feeling more comfortable, especially on the greens, and we got the best of the greens, being out early. I’m happy with how I putted today and will need to putt like that over the weekend to have a chance.

"

There were some flaws in the round, as discussed with the bogey-binge. His putting still isn't where it needs to be either, as Justin Ray of the Golf Channel highlighted:

Even if a victory doesn't happen for McIlroy, which doesn't seem likely given where he is and the number of players ahead of him, this weekend still has to feel good after failing to break 70 in his first two PGA Tour events this season. 

Through three rounds, the Arnold Palmer Invitational has lived up to its namesake. Stenson will be in control of his destiny on Sunday, but with the number of low scores on the course today, this event is far from over. 

Hoffman seemed like he was in good position coming into the third round before Stenson caught him. Now, it's Stenson's turn to prove that he's capable of handling the final-grouping spotlight. He's been close before without quite getting the brass ring.