ORLANDO, Fla. — Shane Lowry knew he was taking part in good golf as a result of he gave himself an opportunity to win final week. He additionally knew his report at Bay Hill was as unhealthy as any course he has performed.
Good kind received out Thursday within the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Lowry made three birdie putts from exterior 20 ft, chipped in for eagle and averted many of the bother for a 6-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead after the opening spherical.
How unhealthy is Lowry round this observe?
“Horrific,” the Irishman mentioned with amusing, and the numbers bear that out.
In his sixth time taking part in the event, this was the primary time Lowry broke 70. Final yr was the primary time he made the minimize, and he might need fared higher than his tie for 67th if not for an 80 within the third spherical.
Lowry had a share of the 54-hole lead final week on the Cognizant Traditional till posting a 71 over two days within the rain-delayed event to complete 4 again.
He wanted a sponsor exemption to get into this signature occasion with a 69-player subject. As a British Open champion, all-around good bloke and ambassador for MasterCard (the presenting sponsor), that was the straightforward half.
Bay Hill was at all times the laborious half. He simply made it look simple for as soon as.
“It is certainly one of these locations the place some folks find it irresistible. I’ve struggled with it through the years,” he mentioned. “It is a good place to return, it is clearly an amazing event, an enormous event, and I am very pleased with that as we speak. Possibly that is the form of rating I must shoot round right here to simply give myself the arrogance to exit and play my sport round right here.”
Lowry wasn’t the the one participant with low expectations. Hideki Matsuyama, who shot 62 within the last spherical to win at Riviera three weeks in the past, out of the blue felt some again ache that brought on him to drag out of the pro-am. He wasn’t positive how it might go within the opening spherical.
The Japanese star wasn’t anticipating a double-hit with a chip shot on the fifteenth gap that led to bogey, however he atoned for that by chipping in for eagle on his technique to a 67.
Justin Decrease additionally had a 67 on a day of cheap scoring, at the very least by Bay Hill requirements. With greens that get firmer because the week goes on and thick tough, this is among the more durable programs main as much as the Masters. There additionally has been sufficient rain to barely soften greens, and no wind, uncommon for Florida in March.
Russell Henley and Sam Burns had been within the group at 68, whereas Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and British Open champion Brian Harman had been amongst these at 69.
Nineteen gamers broke 70, and the typical rating was 71.5. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 participant, had a 70 whereas lacking solely three greens.
Spieth, as regular, did not ship a inventory model of 69. There have been these three straight bogeys to shut out the entrance 9, two of them on three-putts. He was headed for 4 in a row till a nifty pitch over the sting of a bunker on the tenth to save lots of par, adopted by three birdies over his subsequent 4 holes to get again within the combine.
After which he hit his tee shot on the par-5 sixteenth into the homes and out-of-bounds. He completed with a 25-foot birdie putt.
“I feel it was extra strong than possibly the scorecard signifies,” Spieth mentioned. “The errors that I made, I really feel like I can clear up. And there weren’t an entire of ’em.”
Defending champion Kurt Kitayama needed to rally for a 78. Patrick Cantlay missed too many alternatives to beat his errors in a spherical of 74, whereas Rory McIlroy had a 73 after which spent the twilight hours on the placing inexperienced with Brad Faxon.
As a player-hosted signature occasion, Bay Hill may have a 36-hole minimize on Friday to the low 50 and ties and anybody inside 10 pictures of the lead. How Lowry fares may have a bearing on that.
Lowry has an excessive amount of historical past right here – the fallacious variety – to suppose too far forward.
“That is the kind of place the place you get on a run and it feels simple, however then you definately get on a run the opposite method and begin making bogeys, it feels such as you’re by no means going to make a par out right here once more,” he mentioned. “It is usually one of many firmest golf programs we play, and I am positive over the weekend it will agency up and grow to be actually tough.
“However 66 is a very good begin.”
