ORLANDO, Fla. >> Collin Morikawa made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday on a baked out Bay Hill course for a 5-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a chance to win for the first time in 17 months.

Russell Henley holed a long bunker shot for birdie on the opening hole, ran off four in a row to start the back nine and had a 67 to finish one shot behind. Corey Conners of Canada missed the 18th fairway, chipped out and made bogey for a 69 and was two back.

Even without much wind and occasional cloud cover, the heat and three days of sun brought a yellow shine to fairways and greens. Birdie putts from a reasonable range rolled out past the hole sometimes 8 feet or more away.

Shane Lowry, the 36-hole leader, got a taste of that at end. His tee shot on the 18th ran so far that only the collar of the rough kept it from rolling out into the water. He had a birdie chance just inside 25 feet and watched that roll 7 feet by the hole.

He managed to hole that for a 76, leaving him six shots behind. Rory McIlroy made bogey on three of his last four holes for a 73 to fall seven shots behind.

Scottie Scheffler tried to stay in range, except that birdies were hard to come by. He came up short on the 13th — a front pin and a crispy green — and went into the rocks. He managed to salvage bogey from that but he could only manage a 71 to fall eight shots back.

Morikawa was at 10-under 206

“You have to hit good shots out there,” he said. “It can get you from any direction.”

The final hour had Morikawa, Henley and Conners trading spots or sharing time at the top. Morikawa was the only one to avoid a bogey over the final four-hole stretch. He laid up on the par-5 16th and hit lob wedge and let a 6-foot birdie trickle and swirl into the cup.

He barely touched his 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Jason Day, who opened with a 76, put himself back in the mix with a tournament-low 64 on Friday and a wild round of 69 on Saturday. He was briefly tied for the lead until closing out the front nine with three straight bogeys. He was losing ground until making three straight birdies at the end, including a 20-footer on the 17th.

His measure of how firm it was from waiting his turn to putt.

“Any time you put your putter down and you start sliding on your putter, that’s when you know the greens are getting pretty slick,” Day said.

Michael Kim had two eagles on the back nine for a 67, joining Tony Finau (68) at 5-under 205. Kim is the only player among the top five going into the final round who is not already exempt for the Masters, and a win would take care of that.

Morikawa is a two-time major champion whose last victory was in October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. He got back with longtime coach Rick Sessinghaus, and that buttery fade that gives him such great control has been giving him more chances.

Golf Channel reminded him it had been 502 days.

“Thank you for putting that in exact days. I hope you have it in hours and minutes,” he said.

The only number that matters is 18 holes and a lot of stress along the way.

Amateur Van Wyk in hunt in Puerto Rico

South African amateur Kieron Van Wyk shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to pull within a stroke of leader Karl Vilips with one round left in the Puerto Rico Open.

The 23-year-old Van Wyk, a senior at the College of Charleston, is making his first PGA Tour start. Ranked No. 1 in the APGA Collegiate Ranking, he earned an exemption this week by winning the 2024 White Sands Bahamas Men’s NCAA Golf Invitational.

He eagled the par-5 14th Saturday in a bogey-free round at Grand Reserve in the event played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Van Wyk is trying to become the second amateur winner in two years on the PGA Tour. Last year, Nick Dunlop won at La Quinta to become the first amateur champion since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

Vilips had a 66 to top the leaderboard at 18-under 198 The Australian earned a PGA Tour card last season on the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s fighting stomach problems.

American Joseph Bramlett was tied for second with Van Wyk after a 64.

Austin Cook was 16 under after a 69. Chad Ramey (65), Steven Fisk (67), Norman Xiong (68) and William Mouw (69) were 15 under.

Takeda up by 2 at LPGA Blue Bay

Rio Takeda of Japan shot a 3-under 69 on Saturday to hold a two-shot lead after three rounds of the LPGA’s Blue Bay tournament on China’s southern island of Hainan.

Takeda was on 9-under 207 going into Sunday’s final round.

The 21-year-old Takeda is looking for her second LPGA tournament victory after winning the Toto Japan Classic four months ago in a six-hole, sudden-death playoff.

Takeda was two shots ahead of Gigi Stoll, Auston Kim and Cassie Porter. Stoll shot a 68, Kim finished with a 70 and Porter was on even-par 72.

Jeeno Thitikul, the LPGA’s No. 2-ranked player, was three shots back in a group of four players. She shot a 68.

Local favorite Ruoning Yin of China shot a 71 but was 10 shots off the pace. Yin is the LPGA’s No. 4-ranked player.