According to DataGolf, a go-to source for golf analytics, Thursday was hardly the ideal day for an early tee-off on the PGA Tour. If you caught the broadcast, you might have noticed the flagsticks doing their best to stay upright against the fierce winds sweeping through Florida and much of the East Coast. For pros at Bay Hill, a course that’s challenging on the best of days, the conditions made it even more formidable. And they weren’t the only ones having a tough go of it. Over on the Epson Tour, a bit north in Atlantic Beach, 37 women struggled to score under 80.
In Orlando, the stormy conditions were reflected in the numbers: the first 16 players to wrap up their initial rounds at the Arnold Palmer Invitational averaged a grueling 77.4, which is five-over-par at best. Yet, as the day progressed, the winds showed some mercy. Those who teed off a few hours later found the bluster lessened, and by the time the final groups hit the course, they practically had Mother Nature’s blessing, managing an average of 73—a notable four-shot improvement in just one afternoon.
It’s not surprising that players aren’t exactly eager to chat with reporters when their scores are less than stellar, so there were few post-round interviews from the morning wave. However, Scottie Scheffler, who impressively scored a 1-under-par 71, was asked to pinpoint what made Thursday especially tough. Ever diplomatic, Scheffler didn’t narrow it down. “You pick your poison out here,” he noted. “You can probably create a story with whatever it is. The greens are tough, the rough is high, and the wind is up.”
Later starters, meanwhile, were contentedly watching it all unfold on TV, knowing their turn would come with calmer skies. By around 4 p.m., conditions had mellowed, and players like Wyndham Clark, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Shane Lowry capitalized, each delivering rounds in the 60s. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose joined this group at the top of the leaderboard with solid 2-under 70s. But don’t credit their positioning solely to the gentler weather.
Bezuidenhout remarked, “It only died down like my last two and a half, three holes. We also played most of the round in tough conditions. I’m not sure how the wind was this morning, but it actually looked pretty hard out there, if you look at the scoring and stuff. But this golf course is always going to play hard, with wind, without wind.”
Clark added, “I would say for sure like the last five holes it calmed down a little bit. But then it was tough to find where the wind was, so that’s a challenge in itself. The greens were a surprise, though—baked out and incredibly fast despite the conditions. Maybe those last four holes felt easier, but by no means was the round a breeze.”
