RORY MCILROY IS nine shots off the lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as a run that saw him three-over for his last six holes proved costly at Bay Hill.
McIlroy is level par in a tie for 33rd, with leader Daniel Berger setting the pace after his first round 63. That leaves Berger three shots clear of Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg after the pair both recorded rounds of 66 today.
Shane Lowry, back in action after his agonising finish at the Cognizant Classic last Sunday when a golden opportunity for success slipped away, is two-over after his round of 74.
McIlroy was three-under standing on the 13th tee when his form unravelled. He recorded a double bogey on the par-four, finding water with his second shot, and forced to scramble for a six.
He missed a five-foot putt for par on the 14th to drop back to level par, and while he regained some ground with a birdie on the long 16th, McIlroy found a bunker with his approach shot to the green on the 18th. He was unable to get up and down from there to save par.
Rory McIlroy acknowledges the gallery after his shot on the sixth green. Matt Slocum / Associated Press
Matt Slocum / Associated Press / Associated Press
It was a disappointing finish after he had made headway earlier in his round. Level par after four holes, he made a six-foot birdie on the fifth hole, sank a 14-footer for birdie on the ninth, and almost made eagle on the 12th, tapping in for a birdie that left him three-under at that stage.
Offaly native Lowry had a solid start and registered an unlikely birdie on the par-five fourth hole after a wild tee shot took a favourable deflection off a tree.
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Yet there were mixed fortunes for Lowry thereafter.
Shane Lowry hits from the fairway on the first hole. Matt Slocum / Associated Press
Matt Slocum / Associated Press / Associated Press
Back-to-back bogeys on the ninth and 10th, and the 14th and 15th, were offset by birdies on the 11th and 17th, sinking a 14-foot putt on the latter.
But another bogey on the 18th left the Irishman with an uphill task going into the second round tomorrow.
Berger made nine birdies in a flawless round as he stormed to an impressive three-stroke lead.
The 32-year-old American — a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose last triumph came five years ago at Pebble Beach — picked up three birdies on the front nine, but caught fire with six coming in.
The early pace-setter rolled in three straight birdies starting on the 10th, before adding another with an 11-foot putt at the par-three 14th, and two more birdies on the 16th and 18th for a bogey-free round of 63.
Morikawa, a two-time major winner who ended a two-year title drought with a victory at Pebble Beach in February, surged late for his six-under round.
He hit a flush seven-iron into the par-five 16th and holed a 15-foot eagle putt before birdies at 17 and 18 — where he drained a 27-foot putt.
Scheffler was left to rue “a couple mistakes that I shouldn’t have made” in his two-under effort, which also included three birdies.
“Anything under par on this golf course is a decent score,” added the American, who has switched to a new driver this week in a quest for more accuracy off the tee.
Meanwhile, Áine Donegan is seven shots off the lead at the midway point of the Australian Women’s Classic on the European Tour.
After an opening round of 69, she added a 72 in her second round to leave her in a share of 17th place on three-under. Her second round included five birdies and five bogeys.
Ireland’s Anna Foster was also in action at the tournament but has missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 75.
Australia’s Kelsey Bennett currently leads on 10-under.
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McIlroy nine off the lead at Bay Hill after difficult end to first round
LAST UPDATE | 5 Mar
RORY MCILROY IS nine shots off the lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as a run that saw him three-over for his last six holes proved costly at Bay Hill.
McIlroy is level par in a tie for 33rd, with leader Daniel Berger setting the pace after his first round 63. That leaves Berger three shots clear of Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg after the pair both recorded rounds of 66 today.
Shane Lowry, back in action after his agonising finish at the Cognizant Classic last Sunday when a golden opportunity for success slipped away, is two-over after his round of 74.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is two-under.
McIlroy was three-under standing on the 13th tee when his form unravelled. He recorded a double bogey on the par-four, finding water with his second shot, and forced to scramble for a six.
He missed a five-foot putt for par on the 14th to drop back to level par, and while he regained some ground with a birdie on the long 16th, McIlroy found a bunker with his approach shot to the green on the 18th. He was unable to get up and down from there to save par.
It was a disappointing finish after he had made headway earlier in his round. Level par after four holes, he made a six-foot birdie on the fifth hole, sank a 14-footer for birdie on the ninth, and almost made eagle on the 12th, tapping in for a birdie that left him three-under at that stage.
Offaly native Lowry had a solid start and registered an unlikely birdie on the par-five fourth hole after a wild tee shot took a favourable deflection off a tree.
Yet there were mixed fortunes for Lowry thereafter.
Back-to-back bogeys on the ninth and 10th, and the 14th and 15th, were offset by birdies on the 11th and 17th, sinking a 14-foot putt on the latter.
But another bogey on the 18th left the Irishman with an uphill task going into the second round tomorrow.
Berger made nine birdies in a flawless round as he stormed to an impressive three-stroke lead.
The 32-year-old American — a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose last triumph came five years ago at Pebble Beach — picked up three birdies on the front nine, but caught fire with six coming in.
The early pace-setter rolled in three straight birdies starting on the 10th, before adding another with an 11-foot putt at the par-three 14th, and two more birdies on the 16th and 18th for a bogey-free round of 63.
Morikawa, a two-time major winner who ended a two-year title drought with a victory at Pebble Beach in February, surged late for his six-under round.
He hit a flush seven-iron into the par-five 16th and holed a 15-foot eagle putt before birdies at 17 and 18 — where he drained a 27-foot putt.
Scheffler was left to rue “a couple mistakes that I shouldn’t have made” in his two-under effort, which also included three birdies.
“Anything under par on this golf course is a decent score,” added the American, who has switched to a new driver this week in a quest for more accuracy off the tee.
Meanwhile, Áine Donegan is seven shots off the lead at the midway point of the Australian Women’s Classic on the European Tour.
After an opening round of 69, she added a 72 in her second round to leave her in a share of 17th place on three-under. Her second round included five birdies and five bogeys.
Ireland’s Anna Foster was also in action at the tournament but has missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 75.
Australia’s Kelsey Bennett currently leads on 10-under.
In the LPGA, Leona Maguire is nine shots off the lead after wrapping up a second-round 73 at Blue Bay LPGA in China.
Maguire carded three early bogeys, while also recording two birdies, to sit on two-under par. South Korea’s Lee Mi-hyang leads on 11-under.
Additional reporting by – © AFP 2026
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