First Posted: 3/23/2015

ORLANDO, Fla. — Fairmont native William McGirt bounced back from a disappointing third round to card a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 59th in the Arnold Palmer Invitation, which was played on the Bay Hill Golf Course.

McGirt, who had rounds of 70, 72, 75 and 70, had three birdies and a single bogey on Sunday and earned $13,860 and 11 FedEx Cup points. He is now 66th on the FedEx Cup list and 77th on the money list with $493,060 in earnings during the wrap-around season.

McGirt will play in this week’s Valero Texas Open and then skip the Shell Houston Open and The Masters, unless he qualifies for that major, and then returns to action at the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head, S.C.

Matt Every defended his championship with a Tiger Woods-like finish by holing an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory of Henrik Stenson. Every has now won twice on the PGA Tour, both times at Bay Hill.

Woods, a five-time winner of Palmer’s tournament, has won it three times with a final-hole birdie.

“You watch tournaments on TV and guys make a 20-footer on the last and everybody goes nuts,” Every said. “It’s cool to close one out like that.”

Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Stenson was wide left on a 20-foot putt at the 18th.

“It feels great,” Every said about getting a return to Augusta National. “When Henrik missed that putt, that was the No. 1 thing on my mind: ‘You’re already in. Miss it — I need to get in.’”

Stenson was angry with being put on the clock on the 15th hole — the second time the final group was out of position — and closed with a 70 after having a two-shot lead going into the final round. It was the ninth straight tournament in which a 54-hole leader failed to win.

Stenson had a one-shot lead until a three-putt bogey from 45 feet on No. 15 and a three-putt par from 40 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th.

“Really, problems kind of started on 15,” Stenson said. “We got on the clock again, which when you’re coming down the stretch you want to be able to have five extra seconds.”

He said he rushed his first putts on the 15th and 16th, and the three-putts were “really what cost me the tournament.”

Matt Jones birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 to finish alone in third.