Arnold Palmer Invitational 2020: Tyrrell Hatton Leads Rory McIlroy After Round 3

A difficult day for the entire field allowed Tyrrell Hatton to take sole possession of first place after the third round at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday.

Hatton started the day tied with Sung Kang for the lead. The England native didn't have a great performance with a one-over-par 73, but his success the past two days kept his overall score at six under.

Two shots behind Hatton are Rory McIlroy and Marc Leishman tied for second place at four under. Leishman was the only player in the top eight to make par in the third round.

Here's the crowded leaderboard from Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida, via PGATour.com:

1. Tyrrell Hatton (-6)

T2. Rory McIlroy (-4)

T2. Marc Leishman (-4)

T4. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-3)

T4. Sungjae Im (-3)

T4. Harris English (-3)

T4. Danny Lee (-3)

8. Sung Kang (-1)

Hatton had a rough front nine, particularly on No. 9 when he carded a double bogey before making the turn. He made up for it on the back nine by shooting one under, capping it off with a 31-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

McIlroy had an opportunity to finish at five under but gave a shot back with a bogey on the final hole. The Irish superstar hit his second shot on No. 18 into the rock outline and was forced to take a drop. He nearly salvaged par with a 42-foot putt that stopped two feet away from the cup.

Another player who was briefly in the mix for the top spot was Danny Lee, who had the shot of the day with this birdie on No. 12 that dropped his score to five under:

Low scores were difficult to come by for most of the field. Max Homa was the only player to break par (-2) in the third round.

No one was hurt more by the difficult course Saturday than Brooks Koepka. He finished the round with an 81, the highest score of his PGA Tour career.

"I didn't play very good," Koepka told reporters after his round. "It's tough. You would've taken two over today."

Koepka, who is playing his third tournament since returning from a knee procedure, started the third round at one-over par. He will head into Sunday in a two-way tie for 64th at 10-over par.

Given the way things have played out over the past two days, with a number of players on the leaderboard unable to break par, there's reason to expect a lot more chaos will come in the final round.

Hatton's steady showing, even on a day when he was over par, gives him the edge over the rest of the field. There is no shortage of contenders hot on his tail ready to make a move if the course plays to their advantage Sunday.