Morikawa takes Arnold Palmer lead as Lowry slips

Arnold Palmer Invitational: Third-round leaderboard

-10 C Morikawa (US); -9 R Henley (US); -8 C Conners (Can); -7 J Day (Aus); -5 M Kim (US), T Finau (US); -4 A Novak (US), S Straka (Aut), S Lowry (Ire)

Selected others: -3 A Rai (Eng), R MacIntyre (Sco), R McIlroy (NI); -2 J Rose (Eng); E T Fleetwood (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Collin Morikawa changeable a five-under-par 67 to move into a one-shot lead aft nan 3rd information astatine nan Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The world number 5 drained six birdies, including a putt from almost 12 feet connected nan past hole, to amended to 10 nether overall.

That nudged Morikawa 1 changeable clear of chap American Russell Henley, who besides fired a 67 astatine Bay Hill successful Orlando connected Saturday.

Canada's Corey Conners trails Morikawa by 2 strokes heading into Sunday's last round, pinch Australia's Jason Day a changeable further backmost successful fourth.

Ireland's Shane Lowry began nan time pinch a two-shot lead complete Wyndham Clark but slipped down nan leaderboard, pinch a four-over 76 leaving him six adrift connected 4 under.

Clark dropped backmost too, pinch nan American besides settling for 76 and falling to a necktie for 13th.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy was different who mislaid ground, pinch his one-over 73 leaving nan world number 2 successful a necktie for 10th pinch England's Aaron Rai and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre.

Henley made a connection by starting nan backmost 9 pinch 4 consecutive birdies, while Conners slipped backmost pinch a dropped changeable astatine nan 18th hole.

Michael Kim (67) and Tony Finau (68) moved into somewhat distant contention astatine 5 under, while Andrew Novak enjoyed nan champion information of nan time arsenic a bogey-free 65 moved him to 4 under.

Morikawa has not won connected nan PGA Tour since October 2023, and nan 28-year-old has knowledgeable mixed fortunes connected this people successful nan past, recalling erstwhile missed cuts pursuing his information connected Saturday.

"I've travel to this arena not playing awesome previously," said nan two-time awesome winner, "and it's a people that if you're not playing awesome it's going to show.

"It's conscionable 1 of those that you can't clone it. But this was 1 of my first master starts arsenic an amateur, I played successful 2017, and I emotion nan play course.

"On a people for illustration this you conscionable person to person complete power of your play ball, truthful that's what it's going to return tomorrow."

He added: "I would opportunity nan guys that are winning connected a changeless basis, they're playing free, and that's really I'm going to spell retired tomorrow."