Kitayama wins at Bay Hill

Kurt Kitayama holds the championship trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament Sunday in Orlando, Fla, March 5. AP-Yonhap

Kurt Kitayama let an All-Star cast of contenders back into the tournament with a triple bogey, only to beat them all with a clutch birdie and the best lag putt of his life to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.

With five players tied for the lead with only three holes left, Kitayama pulled ahead with a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet on the par-3 17th hole for the lead. Then, his 50-foot putt on the last hole stopped an inch from the cup.

The tap-in par for an even-par 72 might have been the easiest shot he had all day.

Rory McIlroy missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole and shot 70 to finish one shot behind with Harris English, who played bogey-free on the weekend at Bay Hill and closed with 70.

Kurt Kitayama, left, shakes hands with his caddie Tim Tucker after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament Sunday in Orlando, Fla, March 5. AP-Yonhap

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler's wedge to the 18th was a foot away from giving him a good look at birdie to take the lead. It spun back into the rough and he made bogey for a 73.

Jordan Spieth missed four straight putts inside 8 feet through the 17th hole. He joined Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Tyrrell Hatton two shots back.

They all had a chance, mostly because of one swing. Kitayama had a two-shot lead when he hit a wild hook out-of-bounds on the ninth hole, leading to triple bogey.

He didn't make a bogey the rest of the way and captured his first PGA Tour title, which came with a $3.6 million payoff. He finished at 9-under 279 and moved to No. 19 in the world. (AP)