Arnold Palmer Invitational: Leishman claims victory

Day four leaderboard

-11 Marc Leishman (Aus)
-10 Charlie Hoffman (USA), Kevin Kisner
-9 Tyrell Hatton (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI)
-8 Adam Hadwin (Can)

Scroll down for full collated scores

Day four report

Australia's Marc Leishman produced a brilliant finish to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational as Rory McIlroy's bid for a remarkable victory faltered at the final hurdle.

Leishman carded a closing 69 at Bay Hill to claim his second PGA Tour title by a single shot from Americans Kevin Kisner and Charley Hoffman, with McIlroy a shot further back alongside England's Tyrrell Hatton.

An eagle from 50 feet on the 16th gave Leishman the lead for the first time and the 33-year-old, who lost a play-off for the Open Championship in 2015, scrambled pars on the last two holes to set the clubhouse target on 11 under par.

Kisner was unable to find the birdie he needed to force a play-off in the closing stretch, while Hoffman bogeyed the 17th but birdied the last to secure a share of second.

McIlroy had been four over par after two holes of his second round and despite a flawless 65 on Saturday, started the final day five shots off the lead shared by Kisner and Hoffman.

But by the time he had recorded his seventh birdie of the day on the 16th, the four-time major winner had moved into a share of the lead with the American pair.

However, McIlroy then heard the roar as Leishman made his unlikely eagle on 16 and, knowing he needed to make a birdie, charged his first putt four feet past the hole and missed the return.

"I thought going out today if I could shoot anything in the 60s it would be a good score," McIlroy told Sky Sports 4 after signing for a closing 69.

"Obviously I was trying to shoot a couple lower than that but overall played well, I'm really pleased with how I went this weekend and can take a lot of positives from it."

Speaking about the 18th, McIlroy added: "I saw Leishman eagle 16 so I thought I really needed to try and hole it and I was overly aggressive with it and missed the one coming back, but it's been a good week and if anything, to be one over after two rounds and come up like this, it's a great weekend.

"I can't complain too much. It would have been nice to give it a bit of a better go, I had two chances on 17 and 18 there, but hopefully I can get back up on the horse next week and try and get a win at the (WGC-Dell Technologies) Match Play."

McIlroy will have the consolation of moving to second in the world rankings when they are updated on Monday, while Leishman's victory secures his place in the Masters.

Leishman finished fourth at Augusta National in 2013, but withdrew from the year's first major championship in 2015 when his wife Audrey fell seriously ill with toxic shock syndrome.

"It's amazing," said Leishman, whose previous PGA Tour victory came in the Travelers Championship in 2012. "It's been quite a while and my son keeps reminding me - daddy why don't you ever win the trophy?

"I've been trying extra hard for him and it was great today that he was here and a special day with everything honouring Mr Palmer."

Tournament founder and seven-time major winner Palmer died at the age of 87 in September and Leishman added on Sky Sports 4: "You always want to win to honour the greats and it's a special year this year.

"It would have been great if he was up there standing on the back of the green but to win at his place is a dream come true."

Collated fourth-round scores and totals

(USA unless stated, par 72):

277 Marc Leishman 71 66 71 69

278 Charley Hoffman ) 68 66 71 73, Kevin Kisner ) 70 67 68 73

279 Rory McIlroy (Nirl) 74 71 65 69, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 72 69 67 71

280 Adam Hadwin (Can) 70 70 69 71

281 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 68 74 69, Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 67 68 78 68, Lucas Glover ) 68 69 72 72

282 Hudson Swafford ) 73 72 69 68, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 78 66 70 68

283 Rickie Fowler ) 74 72 65 72

284 Justin Rose (Eng) 71 70 70 73, Billy Horschel ) 72 73 67 72, Brian Harman ) 72 70 73 69, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) 67 69 72 76

285 Luke List ) 71 71 72 71, Danny Lee (Nzl) 75 70 73 67, Pat Perez ) 74 70 69 72, Kyle Stanley ) 73 68 69 75, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 69 72 69 75, Michael Kim ) 72 71 70 72

286 Jason Day (Aus) 70 71 75 70, Vaughn Taylor ) 71 71 73 71, Jeunghun Wang (Kor) 71 68 77 70, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 73 71 68 74, Jamie Lovemark ) 72 69 75 70

287 Tony Finau ) 72 67 77 71, Graeme McDowell (Nirl) 72 71 71 73, Brandon Hagy ) 73 71 70 73, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 73 71 73, Stewart Cink ) 70 76 70 71, Brandt Snedeker ) 72 71 71 73, Jim Herman ) 73 72 72 70

288 Keegan Bradley ) 71 71 71 75, Cameron Smith (Aus) 74 69 69 76, Harold Varner III ) 70 70 71 77, Ollie Schniederjans ) 73 70 72 73, David Hearn (Can) 70 73 74 71, Bubba Watson ) 72 72 76 68, Ryan Moore ) 72 69 74 73

289 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 70 75 69 75, Ben Martin ) 73 72 74 70, Paul Casey (Eng) 68 72 71 78, Ian Poulter (Eng) 72 73 71 73

290 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 73 69 72 76, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 72 71 72 75, Russell Henley ) 72 71 70 77

291 Alex Noren (Swe) 70 74 71 76, Byeong-Hun An (Kor) 76 70 72 73, James Hahn ) 73 71 73 74, Martin Laird (Sco) 77 68 75 71, J.J. Spaun ) 70 73 76 72, Kevin Chappell ) 72 74 74 71

Si Woo Kim (Kor) 71 71 74 75

292 Jason Kokrak ) 72 74 71 75, Cheng-Tsung Pan (Tpe) 75 71 74 72, Steve Wheatcroft ) 77 69 71 75, Troy Merritt ) 76 71 72 73, Ryan Ruffels (Aus) 69 74 76 73, Charles Howell III ) 72 72 74 74

293 Tim Herron ) 72 73 72 76, Matt Every ) 73 70 74 76, Blayne Barber ) 75 72 77 69, Fabian Gomez (Arg) 74 72 71 76

294 Zach Johnson ) 75 70 73 76, Boo Weekley ) 75 72 73 74, John Huh ) 74 72 71 77

295 Wesley Bryan ) 77 70 71 77

297 Kevin Streelman ) 75 71 74 77

299 Derek Fathauer ) 74 71 71 83

304 David Lingmerth (Swe) 74 72 70 88

Day three report

Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler both gave themselves hope of a late charge on Sunday after recording the equal best round of seven-under 65.

Fitzpatrick, who was seventh in the Masters last year and made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine, had struggled for consistency earlier in the day, as he dropped shots on the first, third and eighth holes.

However, two birdies then saw him through the back nine at 37 and he picked up another shot on the par-3 17th to end the round level and eight under after 54 holes.

Hatton, meanwhile, produced his best round of the tournament to climb 10 places. The 25-year-old from High Wycombe recovered from a bogey on the par-three second to add four birdies ahead of the turn.

More dropped shots cost him at 11 and 15, although Hatton was able to salvage a competitive round after two more birdies from the closing four holes.

Kisner made up a three-stroke deficit with a 68, which could have been lower but for a bogey on the 18th.

Overnight leader Hoffman finished one-under for the day after recovering from two bogeys on the opening holes and again on the back nine to sign off with three birdies, which included a monster 71-foot putt from the fringe of the green on the 18th.

Australian Marc Leishman is alongside Hatton and Fitzpatrick after a third-round of 71 which started and finished with a bogey.

Earlier in the day, McIlroy made full use of the improved conditions to fire himself up the leaderboard, the world number three tied for eighth on six under.

Fowler, meanwhile, is a stroke further back after his 65 sent him up 47 places to joint 11th, alongside England's Justin Rose and Paul Casey.

McIlroy, the four-time Major winner, hit two birdies on the front nine and then five more after the turn, including three on successive holes from the 10th.

"Today presented us with a chance to go low, it was warmer with not much wind and the course played a bit shorter as well, so you could take advantage of the par-fives," McIlroy told www.pgatour.com.

"Hopefully I can be in with a shout and then if I get off to a fast start tomorrow, I can be right in there, so I just have to keep it going."

It could have been an even better day for American Fowler, who dropped an early double bogey on the par-four third hole, only to then sink three successive birdies to recover and complete the back nine in 35.

Fowler, the world number nine, picked up four more strokes - while also saving his par from the water at 11, trousers rolled up to the knees - and then landing an Eagle put on the par-five 16th.

"I swung well in warm up this morning, and felt this one was coming back where it needed to be. I just stayed patient and got a few to roll in," said Fowler, who had started the day some 12 shots off the lead.

Elswehere, defending champion Jason Day could only manage a 75 to sit at even par. 

Emiliano Grillo had a round to forget. The Argentinian shot a quadruple bogey at the par-five sixth as he finished with a 78, having been the tournament leader after 18 holes and in second place at nine under overnight. 

Day two report

England's Matt Fitzpatrick remained firmly in contention to add a first PGA Tour title to his impressive CV in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Fitzpatrick shared the overnight lead at Bay Hill and added a second round of 69 to his opening 67 to reach halfway at eight under par, two behind American Charley Hoffman.

Paul Casey was four shots further back after a 72, with Olympic champion Justin Rose recovering from bogeying his first three holes to finish alongside compatriot Tyrrell Hatton and defending champion Jason Day on three under.

World number three Rory McIlroy safely made the cut after adding a 71 to his opening 74, with Tommy Fleetwood following a 78 with a superb 66 to get back to level par.

Fitzpatrick was the leading amateur in the 2013 Open at Muirfield and won the US Amateur title a month later, before making a successful transition to the paid ranks in 2014.

Victory in November's DP World Tour Championship came two years to the day since he gained his card via the qualifying school and saw Fitzpatrick eclipse Nick Faldo's record as the youngest Englishman to win three times on the European Tour.

It also gave him the security of a five-year exemption on the European Tour and a PGA Tour card is the next goal for the world number 30, who carded five birdies and two bogeys in his 69.

"I'll probably move over next year to be honest because that's where I want to be in the long run," said Fitzpatrick, who laughs off the occasional problem caused by his youthful appearance.

"I'm sure probably people think I'm the amateur out there or the 15-year-old that's got in or something. But I don't mind that, I think it's quite funny.

"I would rather that than people think, 'Oh, he's going to win every week.' I can't really imagine the sort of pressure that Rory and Jason Day and those guys have - it's probably tough to keep up with."

Fitzpatrick, who was seventh in the Masters last year and made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine, followed a birdie on the second with his first bogey of the week on the fourth, before adding four birdies and a bogey on the back nine.

Making just his third start of 2017 due to a rib injury, McIlroy bogeyed his first two holes after a wild tee shot on the 10th and another errant drive on the next, but bounced back with a birdie on the 12th and an eagle on the 16th.

However, the 27-year-old promptly found water with his tee shot on the 17th to give both shots back, before completing an eventful nine holes with a birdie on the 18th.

The front nine was a more sedate affair as McIlroy recorded a solitary birdie and eight pars to finish one over par.

Halfway leader Hoffman would not have played at Bay Hill if not for missing the cut last week in Tampa to drop from 68th to 71st in the world rankings, taking him out of the field for next week's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

"All in all, I think that it's probably a better decision to play this week than to have played match play and play those long, gruelling rounds," Hoffman said, after a 66 which gave him a one-shot lead over Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.

"I've got a big stretch coming up, so I obviously would have loved to play the World Golf Championship, but I'm not overly disappointed."

Day one report

England's Matt Fitzpatrick claimed a share of the lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational as pre-tournament favourites Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson struggled to make an impression.

Fitzpatrick carded a flawless 67 at Bay Hill to join Argentina's Emiliano Grillo at the top of the leaderboard, with compatriot Paul Casey a shot behind alongside Lucas Glover and Charley Hoffman.

In contrast, McIlroy's 74 included four bogeys and a double bogey, while Stenson - who has finished in the top 15 in his last five appearances in the event - double-bogeyed the 18th in a 75 matched by Blayne Barber.

The American was a last-minute replacement for Danny Willett after the Masters champion withdrew due to illness.

Fitzpatrick eclipsed Nick Faldo's record as the youngest Englishman to win three times on the European Tour with victory - and the first prize of more than £1million - in the DP World Tour Championship in November, two years to the day after gaining his card via the qualifying school.

The 22-year-old from Sheffield has taken advice from McIlroy on buying property in Florida as he plans to gain his PGA Tour card, a task which would be completed with a win at Bay Hill.

Starting from the 10th, Fitzpatrick followed six straight pars with birdies on the 16th and 18th to reach the turn in 34, before picking up further shots on the first, third and sixth.

Casey played the course the other way round and cancelled out two early birdies with a double bogey on the eighth, but birdied the 10th and then three of the last four holes to complete a 68.

Defending champion Jason Day was part of a large group on two under, with Olympic champion Justin Rose a shot further back.

This year's event is the first since tournament founder Palmer died in September at the age of 87 and numerous tributes are being made to the seven-time major winner.

A 14-foot bronze statue of Palmer was unveiled at the course on Saturday, while several players have the tournament's ''umbrella'' logo on their bags for the week.

Asked for his favourite memory of Palmer, Day told PGA Tour Live: "I think having the celebratory drink with him after the win last year. No one else gets to do that any more and it's sad, but that's something I will hold very special to my heart because I was the last to do it."

Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders had been placed in the same group as McIlroy for the first two rounds and matched the world number three's opening 74.

Saunders was two under par with five holes to play, but bogeyed the 14th and 16th and took six on the 18th after his approach finished in the rocks on the edge of a water hazard guarding the green.

In an interview broadcast on PGA Tour.com, Fitzpatrick said: "I played nicely all day, didn't hit too many loose shots and managed to hole a few putts as well, so when it all clicks it's nice.

"I learnt the hard way last year, I didn't hit many greens at all and I was getting up and down from everywhere and managed to still finish tied 27th, so something I had in mind this year was purely to hit more greens.

"In the long run I would love to play more over here as well as keeping my place in Europe but that's something to figure out hopefully if I can get my tour card over here."

McIlroy, who is making just his third start of the season due to a rib injury, told ESPN: "There were positives in there. I hit a few good shots, especially coming down the stretch.

"Even on the last I felt I hit two good shots; I caught a gust of wind with my second and it hit the rocks and ricocheted over to the bunker.

"I got a couple of good feelings there coming in so I'm going to work on them on the range and see if I can straighten it out for tomorrow."