Battles to win Arnold Palmer Invitational Kitayama won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke after shooting an even-par 72 in the final round. Impact Kitayama was right there all week and in command for much of the tournament. He held a two shot lead after eight holes on Sunday, but a triple on the par-4 9th but him back in a tough position. With a number of other elite players putting their name in the hat, Kitayama stayed cool and made a clutch birdie at the difficult par-3 17th and then an incredible two-putt on 18 to secure his first PGA Tour win. When he gets his swing together, Kitayama can contend anywhere and he showed that beating this elite field. he is now inside the top-20 in the OWGR and is certainly one to keep an eye on going forward given his ability to hang in with a lot of names that are bigger than his.
MARCH 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE