ORLANDO, Fla. – Michael Kim played his way into contention at the Arnold Palmer Invitational thanks largely to a pair of eagles on his closing nine holes at Bay Hill and a timely pep talk from a volunteer.
It was an unorthodox eagle at Bay Hill’s par-5 12th hole that included a tee shot that found a fairway bunker, a second shot that found a greenside bunker and an unlikely chip in from 36 yards for the “3.”
“I was actually talking to a volunteer waiting for Bob [MacIntyre] to hit his third and he said, ‘Nothing you can’t make.’ And in my mind I was thinking, Well, [chipping to] 10 feet would be fantastic. And it went in,” Kim said. “I gave him the ball.”
Kim’s 67, which also included an eagle at the par-5 16th hole, moved him into a tie for fifth place at 5 under, four shots off the lead held by Corey Conners and Collin Morikawa. It’s shaping up to be another solid week for Kim, who hasn’t finished worse than 13th in his last four starts including a runner-up finish at the WM Phoenix Open and a tie for sixth at last week’s Cognizant Classic.
“I’ve played a lot of really good golf recently, but I don’t feel incredibly much more confident than I did at like [WM Phoenix Open],” he explained. “I would say the doubts don’t creep in as much, or I’m able to kind of let ‘em go by easier.
“This golf course is tough, so there’s demanding shots that you need to pull off. I’ve played my way in tomorrow and I’ll probably be a few shots back, but hopefully I can make it a good Sunday.”
