The stars are in Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill Club and Accommodationthe third of four elevated events in a five week period.
There's a household name at the top of the leaderboard as Jon Rahm continues his torrent. The Spaniard opened with a 7-under 65 to take a two-shot lead into Friday.
After three straight birdies at numbers 1-3, Rahm bogeyed the par-4 eighth to make the turn at 2-under 34. He birdied the par-5 12 before draining a long par effort at par. -4 15 to maintain momentum.
His flat stick stayed hot on the par-5 16 with a 24-foot eagle to push his nose even with early leaders Chris Kirk and Cameron Young.
A monstrous 7-iron at the par-3 17th led to a kick-in birdie and the outright lead at 6-under.
And for good measure, he birdied the final par 4 after another laser iron shot inside 10 feet.
what an amazing ending to With @JonRahmp as he signs for a 7-under 65. He leads by 2๏ธโฃ as the day begins to wind down.
-apinv (@APinv) March 2, 2023
I'm not sure anyone can contain the "Rahm page". I'm sorry, I'll go.
If you missed any of Thursday's action, don't worry, we've got you covered. Here's everything you need to know about Day 1 at Bay Hill.
API: Second round tee times | Photos
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Cameron Young tees off the 16th hole during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Last season, Cameron Young won the Arnold Palmer Award for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Now, he is in a position to win in the place of the King.
Young started his day with an eagle chip-in at the par-5 12 (his third) and made three more birdies heading to the turn at 31.5-under par. The last nine of his weren't so pretty, trading two birdies. with two bogeys to post a day one 5-under 67.
โI think I was very happy with the way I put together a round today,โ he said. โEvery time you break pair here, you're doing it right. Today I feel like every time I had the chance to birdie, I did it."
In last year's API, Young tied for 13th.
Chris Kirk lines up his putt on the 16th green during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Kirk captured his fifth PGA Tour title, and first in eight years, last week at the Honda Classic and has brought some momentum to central Florida.
Thanks to seven birdies and a couple of dropped shots, Kirk opened the API with a 5-under 67. He has had success at Bay Hill in recent years, finishing 15th or better in the past four seasons.
โI felt a bit like a zombie this morning, but I really can't take away the excitement I get from playing this event every year,โ Kirk said after his round.
It will be part of the afternoon wave projected to face the worst of the wind on Friday, so it will have to switch to defensive mode after attacking most of Thursday.
Scottie Scheffler lines up his putt on the 16th green during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Scottie Scheffler: The world No. 2 got off to a great start to his title defense, posting a four-under-par 68. After the round, he commented on the conditions ahead and understands that he has to go into conservative mode for the next few days.
Jordan Spieth: Spieth hit the ball beautifully on Thursday, taking first place on SG: Tee to Green. The putter let him down a bit, 55th in SG: Putting, but it was good enough for the Texan to post a four-under-par 68.
Rory McIlroy: On a golf course where McIlroy usually thrives, he struggled in the first round. A bad swing on the par-5 of the sixth led to a double bogey after his first tee shot failed to find dirt on the banana hole. He had his ups and downs coming home and the 2018 API champ finished 1-73.
Max Homa: Bogey-free through 17 holes before a five on the par-4 18th hole was caused by a wild tee shot. He posted a 2-under 70.
Ricky Fowler: Fowler continued his streak of good play Thursday with a 4-under 68 in the first round. His last victory was at the 2019 WM Phoenix Open.
A detail of the 13 pin flag during the first round of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill in Orlando. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The greens at Bay Hill are already starting to turn brown, which begs the question: What will the maintenance crew do on Friday morning?
Well, judging by a moment late in the broadcast on Thursday, the irrigation process on the greens has already begun.
The second day at API will be windy with winds forecast to reach 20 MPH with gusts up to 40 MPH.
Not a bad way to start the week for Viktor Hovland.
That's one way to start the day! ๐ฆ
Viktor Hovland with a pocket eagle to open his round. pic.twitter.com/OWIXKZmy01
โ PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 2, 2023
