By removing as much hassle as possible, Wyndham Clark managed a demanding day at Bay Hill. He finished Thursday’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard with a 5-under 67 and a two-shot lead thanks to two late birdies as the wind finally subsided.
From the beginning, it was obvious that Bay Hill would be a beast due to the cold and strong winds on a course with thick rough and putting surfaces that were already yellow in colour.
Clark scored the greatest score to lead the tournament in eight years, making a last birdie on the 18th hole with a pitching wedge to two feet.
Even though Bay Hill is now a Signature Event, just 14 golfers broke par, the fewest in 36 years. There were 120 players in the field before.
However, it was difficult.
“Choose your poison here; you can probably use it to make a tale. The wind is rising, the rough is high, and the greens are challenging.” defending champion Scottie Scheffler said after he shot 71.
The only other players to reach 70 were Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Shane Lowry, Corey Conners, and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, all of whom scored 69. Up until he made a bogey on the last hole, Rory McIlroy was on the verge of joining them at 70.
Prior to his afternoon tee time, Lowry watched a few of the feature groups on streaming and was not pleased with what he saw: Max Homa with an 81, Cameron Young on his way to an 82, and, in contrast to last week at PGA National Resort, a premium on par.
“This morning, I switched on the television and watched some golf, and it didn’t seem like much fun. I wasn’t really anticipating my round,” Lowry said. However, I believe we were given favourable circumstances. I thought I navigated the golf course well, despite the fact that it wasn’t easy. I was quite pleased with my outcome.” Lowry said.
Call it a draw because the wind died but the greens were getting firmer.
On the par-4 third hole, Clark saved a bogie after a shot into the water and missed just three greens. He didn’t miss another opportunity.
He shot a difficult lag from 45 feet on the par-3 17th for a tap-in par, closed with birdie, then missed an 18-foot eagle attempt on the par-5 16th.
“I was aware that it would be quite difficult. And even though 5 under seems like a great score, it kind of simply occurred; I wasn’t really aiming for that score. Actually, all I was doing was trying to keep it in front of me. It was easy chips if I got out of position, hit it back short of the green, and left myself to the wind.
It was really nice that I didn’t have a lot of stress. That makes the round easier when it’s really difficult.” Clark said.
When Xander Schauffele returned from a two-month break to recover from an intercostal strain and a small cartilage tear in his right ribs, it was no easy task. He was in good health. The corrosion was visible. The result was a 77.
“I got my ass kicked. I’ll be honest, it’s a difficult location to return to. Palm Springs would have been nice, or something. I knew I would have to show up at short notice to what is essentially a major championship setup around the greens.” Schauffele said.
Only the top 50 and ties advance to the weekend in this player-hosted signature event, and Schauffele, who was tied for 52nd, has the longest active cut streak at 57 tournaments, which is now in jeopardy heading into Friday.
However, that was the case for everyone.
“I feel like I hit the ball pretty well and had very few birdie chances” Ludvig Aberg said after he battled to a 72.
The scoring average was 74.6, and every hole played above par except for the par 5s.
“The fairways are fairly narrow and when you miss them you’re in that thick rough, and you lose all control of your golf ball from there and you’re just hoping for a decent lie to bring it up someplace near the green” McIlroy said.
Bradley was bogey-free until he missed the 15th green to the left and then shot what looked to be a nice chip until it kept rolling some 6 feet by the pin. Every green was treated with care.
“This place is good for anything below par, but on days like today, it’s one of the best rounds I’ve played all year.” Bradley said.
This is the most difficult course we play all year, in my opinion. It was Torrey (Pines), I thought. It’s here now, I believe. Playing well is essential if you want to shoot below par. Adding these kinds of situations makes it even tougher.
