Since he gave himself a chance to win last week, Shane Lowry knew he was playing well. He also knew that, just like all the courses he had played, his record at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge was the worst.
On Thursday, the Mastercard-sponsored Arnold Palmer Invitational was won by good form. After the first round, Lowry led by one stroke sequel to three birdie putts from outside of 20 feet, a chip in for an eagle, and a 6-under 66 that saw him dodge much of the difficulty.
The Irishman laughed and replied, “Horrific,” and the figures support that.
This was the first time Lowry had broken 70 in his sixth tournament appearance. His first time making the cut came last year, and if it weren’t for an 80 in the third round, he might have done better than his tie for 67th.
At last week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, Lowry shared the 54-hole lead until finishing four back after posting 71 over two days during the rain-delayed competition.
To enter this 69-player Signature Event, he need a sponsor exemption. That was the easy part, being the champion of The Open Championship, a great guy overall, and an ambassador for the presenting sponsor, Mastercard.
The difficult part was usually Bay Hill. For once, he really made things look simple.
“It’s one of those spots that certain individuals adore. It has been a battle for me over the years. It’s a pleasant location, and the tournament is clearly excellent and large, which makes me delighted about it today. Perhaps that’s the kind of score I should aim for in order to simply give myself the courage to go out and compete here.” he said.
It wasn’t just Lowry who had low expectations. Three weeks earlier, Hideki Matsuyama, who had won The Genesis Invitational with a final-round score of 62, was forced to withdraw from the pro-am due to an unexpected back ache. In the first round, he was unsure of how things would proceed.
The Japanese sensation made amends for his not so good bogey on the 15th hole when he chipped in for an eagle on his route to a 67.
On a day when he scored respectably, at least by Bay Hill standards, Justin Lower also shot 67. This is one of the more difficult courses leading up to the Masters, with thick rough and greens that get harder as the week goes on. Additionally, there has been no wind, which is unusual for Florida in March, and enough rain to somewhat soften greens.
Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and The Open champion Brian Harman were among those at 69, while Russell Henley and Sam Burns were in the group at 68.
The average score was 71.5, with 19 players breaking 70. The top player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, shot 70 with just three greens missed.
As usual, Spieth failed to provide a stock version of 69. To end the front nine, there were those three consecutive bogeys, two of which came on three-putts. Until he made a brilliant pitch over the edge of a bunker on the tenth hole to preserve par, he was set to lose three straight. He then birdied three of his next four holes to get back in the hunt.
On the par-5 16th hole, he then hit his tee shot into the houses and out-of-bounds. He made a 25-foot birdie putt to seal the deal.
“It was, in my opinion, stronger than the scorecard may suggest. I believe I can make up for the mistakes I committed. Additionally, there weren’t many of them.” Spieth said.
Kurt Kitayama, the defending champion, had to come back for a 78. In a round of 74, Patrick Cantlay lost too many chances to make up for his errors, while Rory McIlroy shot 73 and then spent the late afternoon working with Brad Faxon on the putting green.
On Friday, Bay Hill, a player-hosted Signature Event, will include a 36-hole cut to the low 50 and ties, as well as anyone within 10 strokes of the lead. Lowry’s performance will affect that.
Lowry has too much wrong kind of history here to look too far ahead.
“It’s the kind of spot where you can run and feel like you’re never going to make a par out again, but then you can run the other way and start making bogeys. It’s typically one of the hardest golf courses we play, and I have no doubt that over the weekend it will get even worse.” he said.
