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 dangerous 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 hassle for a 6-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead after the opening spherical.
How dangerous is Lowry round this monitor?
“Horrific,” the Irishman stated with fun, and the numbers bear that out.
In his sixth time taking part in the match, this was the primary time Lowry broke 70. Final 12 months was the primary time he made the lower, and he may 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 match 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 simple half.
Bay Hill was all the time the arduous half. He simply made it look straightforward for as soon as.
“It is one among these locations the place some folks find it irresistible. I’ve struggled with it over time,” he stated. “It is a good place to return, it is clearly an amazing match, an enormous match, and I am very pleased with that right now. Possibly that is the type of rating I have to shoot round right here to only give myself the boldness to exit and play my recreation round right here.”
Lowry wasn’t the the one participant with low expectations. Hideki Matsuyama, who shot 62 within the closing spherical to win at Riviera three weeks in the past, abruptly felt some again ache that precipitated him to tug out of the pro-am. He wasn’t certain how it could 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 approach to a 67.
Justin Decrease additionally had a 67 on a day of affordable scoring, not less than by Bay Hill requirements. With greens that get firmer because the week goes on and thick tough, this is without doubt one of the harder 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 normal, 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 avoid wasting 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 believe it was extra strong than perhaps the scorecard signifies,” Spieth stated. “The errors that I made, I really feel like I can clear up. And there weren’t a complete 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 could have a 36-hole lower on Friday to the low 50 and ties and anybody inside 10 photographs of the lead. How Lowry fares could have a bearing on that.
Lowry has an excessive amount of historical past right here – the improper variety – to suppose too far forward.
“That is the kind of place the place you get on a run and it feels straightforward, however you then get on a run the opposite approach and begin making bogeys, it feels such as you’re by no means going to make a par out right here once more,” he stated. “It is usually one of many firmest golf programs we play, and I am certain over the weekend it is going to agency up and grow to be actually tough.
“However 66 is a very good begin.”
