06 March 2023 , 17:18
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Rory McIlroy claimed he is trending towards his top form for the Masters after his near-miss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Ulsterman led during the chaotic final round at Bay Hill and missed a 10-foot birdie putt at the last before finishing a shot behind winner Kurt Kitayama. The four-time Major champion returned to world No.1 last year during a run of seven consecutive top-four finishes but has slid down to No.3 after a slow start to his PGA Tour season.
But McIlroy, who will tee up at The Players Championship this week, said: “I had a chance at the last and it just missed on the low side but it was a good week. I saw some positive signs. Game's rounding into form for the bulk of the season. So I'm, even though I didn't get the win, I'm still pretty happy with how everything went this week.
“My game’s getting better. I feel like I figured out the driver a little bit more this week. It's getting there. I think there are still a couple little things to tidy up and try to get more comfortable with.
"But with The Players, Match Play, and then the Masters, so two tournaments between now and then and plenty of time to feel a bit more comfortable with where everything is.”
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McIlroy, who will start his latest bid to win the Masters on April 6, nailed four birdies in five holes around the turn and was one of six final-day leaders at Bay Hill. But Californian Kitayama won his first PGA Tour event despite a triple bogey on the ninth hole to don the famous red winner’s cardigan at Arnie’s Place.
Kurt Kitayama held off McIlroy and other esteemed major winners to lift his first PGA Tour title (Getty Images)Nicknamed The Project at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the new world No.19 said: “I’ve come really far! Yeah, when I got into school I was struggling, but the guys at the course saw me every day grinding, just working hard, and that's kind of why they nicknamed me that.”
Former champion Tyrrell Hatton was also in the mix but his putter went cold as he closed with a level-par 72 in tied fourth. “I’ve played well enough tee to green to win the tournament today,” he said. “Normally putting is obviously quite a strength. I'm pretty gutted.”
Jon Rahm finished tied 39th — his first time outside the top 10 since the Tour Championship last August - but stayed at world No.1.