Wild Winds Create Havoc at Bay Hill, Leading to Major Scoring Disparity
The opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill was marked by significant weather-based scoring disparities. Early starters faced brutal wind conditions, with the first 16 players averaging 77.4 (+5), while later groups enjoyed calmer conditions, averaging just 73 - a remarkable 4-shot difference.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who managed a 1-under 71, summarized the challenging conditions: "You pick your poison out here. The greens are tough, the rough is high, and the wind is up."
The afternoon wave saw improved scoring opportunities, with players like Wyndham Clark, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Shane Lowry carding rounds in the 60s. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose also capitalized with 2-under 70s.
Bezuidenhout noted that conditions remained challenging for most of his round, only easing in the final few holes: "It only died down like my last two and a half, three holes. This golf course is always going to play hard, with wind, without wind."
With a 36-hole cut looming, players who faced the morning's harsh conditions will need to make up ground on Friday to ensure their weekend participation. The dramatic scoring disparity between morning and afternoon waves ranks among the largest seen on Tour this season.
The challenging conditions also impacted other tournaments, with 37 players at the concurrent Epson Tour event in Atlantic Beach failing to break 80.