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PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sam Burns had a three-shot lead with five holes to play Saturday and had to make an 8-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole just to keep a share of the lead with Keegan Bradley in the Valspar Championship. RELATED: Leaderboard | Inside the Field: Wells Fargo Championship Burns had two bogeys over the final three holes at Innisbrook, both from errant tee shots, and he did well to make sure his finish wasn’t worse. He had to two-putt from 75 feet on the final hole for bogey and a 2-under 69. Bradley, who got back in the mix by chipping in for eagle, also bogeyed the 18th for a 69. They were at 14-under 199, tying the 54-hole tournament record set by K.J. Choi in 2002 and matched by Adam Hadwin in 2017. Both Choi and Hadwin went on to win. This was hardly a two-man race, not the way Max Homa finished. Homa ran in a birdie putt from just inside 30 feet on the 15th hole, and after a bogey on the tough 16th, he closed out his round of 66 by making a 35-foot bending birdie putt from the fringe on the 18th. That makes seven putts from 25 feet or longer this week for Homa, and it left him only one shot out of the lead as he goes for his second PGA TOUR victory this year. Burns has at least a share of the 54-hole lead for the third time this season. He shot 2-over 72 in the Vivint Houston Open to tie for seventh, and his 2-under 69 at Riviera left him one shot out of a playoff at the Genesis Invitational won by Homa. If the last hour was any indication, it doesn’t take much for the Copperhead course at Innisbrook to bite back. “There’s some birdies out there,” Abraham Ancer said after his 66. “But this golf course, if you’re not in the right position, man, you can make some bogeys quick.” And thanks to a few quick bogeys by the leaders, Ancer is suddenly back in the mix. He was in the group at 10-under 203, just four shots behind, that included Ted Potter Jr. (63), Joaquin Niemann (67) and Cameron Tringale (67). Niemann began his week at Innisbrook in the same group as Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, who are no longer part of the equation. Thomas had a 67 and was eight shots behind. Johnson took double bogey on the 16th and 18th holes for a 74 and will be out of town before the final group tees off. Paul Casey’s bid for a third consecutive win at the Valspar Championship is gone, too. He shot 72 and was 12 shots out of the lead. The top three all made eagle during a sweltering Saturday, all in different fashion. It started with Burns, who sent a 3-hybrid soaring with such height that it pitched in front of the first hole and settled 30 inches away for a tap-in eagle. Burns also made a 35-foot birdie putt on the third hole and hit a tough bunker shot to 10 feet for birdie on the fifth. Bradley could barely keep up with him. Turns out he didn’t need to do much. Burns didn’t make another birdie over the final 13 holes, losing a chance to at least keep his distance. The lead was three shots when Bradley missed a par putt on the 13th hole. But on the par-5 14th, Bradley went for the green and came up short and to the right. He chipped in for eagle, and on the next hole, and two holes later, Burns bogeyed the 16th. Homa made his eagle the hard way, holing out from 138 yards on the sixth hole, which only yielded eight birdies the entire round. But he saved his best work for the long birdie putts, his strength all week. Homa started the round four shots behind Burns and Bradley, and he fell seven shots back after the opening four holes. That didn’t bother him. “I just knew if I posted 4 under-ish I would at least have a chance tomorrow, but that’s all you can do out here,” Homa said. “The moment you try to shoot 8 (under), you’re in trouble. So yeah, feels good to have a chance.”

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LAS VEGAS – Max Homa’s face lit up when he was asked about Tom Kim, the PGA TOUR’s newest young star who captured the world’s hearts with his exuberant performance at the recent Presidents Cup. Homa, who ironically was the man to silence some of Kim’s incredible fervor with a Sunday Singles victory over the 20-year-old that helped the U.S. Team beat Kim’s International Team 17-5-12.5, is one of the biggest fans of the Korean sensation. “Tom is obviously a rock star. I think first and foremost, he’s an amazingly nice person. He’s got that fresh outlook on the game of golf, which is cool. He’s 20 years old, so that’s amazing to even be out here,” Homa said. “It was cool to see him kind of burst on the scene there (at Quail Hollow) because I know he had been playing some really great golf prior, but that was a big stage, and he handled it awesome.” Homa was referencing a couple of huge eagles on Saturday at Quail Hollow that turned things for Kim and his partners in wins against U.S. duos. His long-range putts on the drivable 11th hole saw him throwing his putter and bellowing before the ball even disappeared. Then, as an encore, there was a 10-foot winning birdie putt on the 18th in the afternoon Four-ball match against the dominant pair of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay that Kim himself has had put on repeat on YouTube at times since the tournament. “I’ve watched it a lot of times. I still watch it sometimes because it gives me motivation,” he laughs. “I always have that fire inside me.” Already a winner at last season’s Wyndham Championship, Kim steps out for just his 18th TOUR start this week at the Shriners Children’s Open. Despite no history on the course, he is one of the favorites to win at TPC Summerlin. Former major winner-turned-analyst Paul Azinger has already anointed him a possible future world No. 1 and one of his favorite players. Indeed, Kim is already a drawcard. While picking up a coffee at a local store near TPC Summerlin on Wednesday morning, this reporter was spotted with a TOUR credential and International Team polo which drew questioning from a golf fan in the same line. “Are you here for the Shriners? Do you know Tom Kim? We can’t wait to get out there and see him play this weekend,” the excitable middle-aged man gushed as he walked off with his latte. “My son plays junior golf and he’s been fist pumping and roaring just like him for the past few weeks. Don’t tell his teacher, but I might buy a Friday ticket as well just to make sure he gets to watch him.” Running late somewhere, he was gone before more questions could be asked, but one figures that man and his son are not alone in a quick admiration for Tom Kim. After all, he’s also a built-in advertisement for resilience, having opened the Wyndham Championship with a quadruple-bogey eight yet winning the tournament by five shots. And his energy is infectious. “As competitive as golf is, and that’s why we play it, part of it is entertainment, and I feel like he also has that extra kick of being very entertaining and lovable and somebody you want to see succeed,” Homa added. “To be able to qualify for the Presidents Cup at that age is crazy to me. He played awesome all week. He was the catalyst of the team, I felt like. His emotion was cool.” Kim and Homa have been paired together for the first two rounds this week along with fellow Presidents Cup player Si Woo Kim, Tom’s partner in that fateful Saturday afternoon match in Charlotte. There’s no doubt those three will be looking to entertain with abundant birdies. The question for Tom Kim now is how he will handle his newfound fame. At this tender age, can he maintain the love and joy for the sport that often can become a grind? Will it get to his head? He claims he won’t be getting complacent. He’s aware his new bank balance could induce such behavior, but Kim idolizes Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan for the never-be-satisfied mindset they carried. He intends to do the same. “It’s amazing how people are starting to recognize me, and it’s a great feeling, and I really appreciate it,” Kim said humbly as he looks to start his 2023 campaign. “But I feel like nothing has really changed. Tiger has 82 wins on the PGA TOUR. Until I get to 83, it’s going to be hard for me to think a little different.” It’s a refreshing maturity for one so young, particularly with the hype train in full motion around him right now. “A lot of people have been telling me that hey, you’re such a star now, things like that, but I feel like really, am I that big of a star?” Kim said. “I played the Presidents Cup, it’s great, I had one win. But you’ve got guys like Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth … I’ve still got a lot to do.” As such, he’s knuckling down this week where he feels the course should suit his game perfectly. And he intends to play the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan next week and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina the week after. Will he still have his bubbly smile throughout that intense travel schedule? Likely yes as he knows his energy is almost his secret weapon. “I’ve learned enjoying it is the biggest thing, because there are a lot of times where it gets a little difficult with travel and going to places every week, and sometimes maybe not having the perfect food or something like that,” Kim said. “But I enjoy a lot of things out here, and I love golf, and I love practicing. Putting a focus on enjoying it is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned.”

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Rory McIlroy defends his title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where last year’s back-nine blitz snapped an 18-month victory drought. Tiger Woods, meantime, hopes to get his season heated up at place where he’s won eight previous times. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, 2016 winner Jason Day, and honorary co-host Justin Rose also top the marquee, as Bay Hill once again becomes the final tuneup for THE PLAYERS Championship. FIELD NOTES: Reigning Open Championship titleholder Francesco Molinari makes his first start on U.S. soil since the Sentry Tournament of Champions, topping an international sector that includes Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter and Haotong Li. … Phil Mickelson, the 1997 Bay Hill champion and a recent winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, returns to Arnie’s Place for the first time since 2013. … Bay Hill expects to welcome 17 of the FedExCup’s current top 30. … U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland makes his third TOUR start since capturing that crown. The Oklahoma State junior is No. 1 in the collegiate rankings, one spot ahead of teammate Matthew Wolff, who recently made the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. … Hovland isn’t the only collegian in the field. Fourth-ranked Justin Suh also is playing. He recently won the Southwestern Invitational, his seventh win in his past 16 collegiate starts. … Other exemptions went to former NCAA champion Braden Thornberry and Sam Horsfield, born in England but raised in nearby Davenport, Florida. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: McIlroy, whose win last year was his first since the 2016 TOUR Championship, hopes Bay Hill can get him over the hump again. He arrives off four consecutive top-5 finishes, including a runner-up at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship… Woods makes his 18th Bay Hill start with momentum from a share of 10th in Mexico, his first top-10 of the season. He tied for fifth last year in his first visit since winning in 2013. In addition to his eight TOUR titles at Bay Hill, he also won the 1991 U.S. Junior Amateur there. It was the first of his six USGA amateur titles. … McIlroy’s victory was the seventh by an international player in the past 13 editions, after going the first 27 years with just one non-American winner. … Rose, already a winner at the Farmers Insurance Open, adds the role of co-host this year, one of three sharing the function Palmer once enjoyed. Former Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings round out the trio. COURSE: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, 7,419 yards, par 72. Acclaimed by Palmer as the “best course in Florida� after playing a 1965 exhibition on Orlando’s western edge, it turned into a 50-year love affair as Palmer made Bay Hill his winter base and eventually bought the property. Bay Hill first welcomed the TOUR in 1979, when the old Florida Citrus Open moved across town. Built in 1961 by Dick Wilson, Palmer’s constant tinkering over the years left no doubt about whose stamp it bears. Bay Hill’s closing trio of holes often generates a dramatic finish, most notably the 7-iron hole-out at No. 18 by Robert Gamez to stun Greg Norman in 1990. For those visiting Central Florida, must-play courses include ChampionsGate GC (ChampionsGate, Florida), Hawks’ Landing GC (Orlando) and Mission Inn Resort & Club (Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida). Book your reservations via TeeOff.com. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Payne Stewart (1987). 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Andy Bean (2nd round, 1981), Greg Norman (2nd round, 1984), Adam Scott (1st round, 2014). LAST YEAR: McIlroy notched his 14th TOUR victory in a manner Palmer would have been proud of, blitzing Bay Hill’s back nine with five birdies in his final six holes on the way to a three-shot romp. McIlroy began the day two shots behind Henrik Stenson and didn’t make his first birdie until No. 6, then suddenly seemed as though he couldn’t miss. The highlight came with a chip-in at No.1 5, part of a four-birdie run that began at the 13th. McIlroy’s closing 64 was the lowest final round by a Bay Hill winner since Gary Koch in 1984. It was a special win in another way, as McIlroy’s last triumph – the 2016 TOUR Championship – came on the same day Palmer passed away. DeChambeau finished second after a 68, while Woods stayed in the hunt until driving out of bounds at the par-5 16th on the way to a share of fifth. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (featured groups), 2:30-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLFTV): Thursday-Friday, 12:30 to 23:00 GMT. Saturday, 14:00 to 23:00. Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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