Arnold Palmer Invitational 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights
The third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida, saw little change to its leaderboard. After a two-under on the day, world No. 3 Jason Day holds a two-stroke lead over three golfers with an overall score of 15 under.
The field had to deal with some inclement weather in the middle of its round as rain showered Bay Hill for over an hour. The PGA Tour showed the kind of rain that was hitting the course:
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Here's what the leaderboard looks like after Saturday's play:
| 1 | Jason Day | -15 | -2 (70) |
| T2 | Troy Merritt | -13 | -5 (67) |
| T2 | Kevin Chappell | -13 | -5 (67) |
| T2 | Henrik Stenson | -13 | -2 (70) |
| T5 | Derek Fathauer | -11 | -3 (69) |
| T5 | Justin Rose | -11 | -1 (71) |
| T7 | Emiliano Grillo | -9 | -4 (68) |
| T7 | Jamie Lovemark | -9 | -1 (71) |
Compared to his first two days at the AP Invitational, in which he shot a combined 13 under, Day had a subpar day Saturday. His four birdies were the fewest of the tournament, and his two bogeys were the most. It could be chalked up to the conditions, which weren't making it any easier for golfers to get through the course.
Yet he still provided some nice shots on the day, like this chip on No. 8, per the PGA Tour:
Henrik Stenson looked poised to be Day's main challenger in the third round. He even took the lead at 15 under following an eagle on No. 6 after he smashed his second shot 235 yards. It fell within 13 feet of the hole on the par-five, 555-yarder.
His approach game also helped him out big time, like this one on No. 5, per the PGA Tour, which set up his second birdie of the day:
However, bogeys on No. 7 and No. 12 dropped him into second place as he finished at two under on the day and 13 under overall.
Troy Merritt and Kevin Chappell joined Stenson in a tie for second, as both golfers shot five under on the day. The trio hold a two-stroke advantage over third-place Derek Fathauer and world No. 8 Justin Rose.
Colt Knost might not be near the leaderboard, as he's in a tie for 46th place at two under overall, but he did provide one of the shots of the day on No. 12, per the PGA Tour:
Among other notable golfers, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy's struggles at Bay Hill continued, as he shot a three-over for the second time in three days. He's tied for 64th at one over.
Hopefully for Sunday's final round, the Florida weather will clear up and provide a nice setting for the AP Invitational's finale. Those chasing Day, though, might be hoping the weather will slow him down enough to catch him Sunday.
Post-Round Reaction
It might have not been the most glamorous round, but that didn't put a damper on Day's day, via ESPN.com's Jason Sobel:
He's feeling a bit more confident heading into Sunday's final round, too, via Golf Channel's Will Gray:
Day, though, is going to have plenty of company given the way this course is doling out some solid scores. If he happens to shoot a mediocre round on Sunday, then he's going to have a lot of trouble staying at the top of the leaderboard.
Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.
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