ORLANDO, Fla. – There are theme parks in Orlando that don’t offer the adventure and thrills that Troy Merritt and Kevin Chappell provided on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Playing in Sunday’s final pairing at Bay Hill alongside eventual winner Jason Day, Merritt seemed to slip out of the picture on the front nine – he appeared relegated to a supporting role when he went out in 2-over 38 – only to run off five consecutive birdies to begin his second nine.
Merritt knocked down a 23-footer at the 10th; hit a daring second shot to 17 feet at 11; got up and down from 80 yards to a front pin at 12; holed a 12-footer at the short 13th; and then holed a greenside bunker shot after Day had chipped it stiff at the par-3 14th.