Shane Lowry and Rory Mcllroy overcame difficult conditions to put themselves in strong contention after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida.
Despite the tricky weather and gusty winds, both players showed resilience and skill, setting themselves up for a potential string finish in the competition.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry posted a three-under par 69, placing him in a tie for second place alongside Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
World number two Rory Mcllroy finished with a 70, three shots behind American leader Wyndham Clark, who closed his round with three birdies in the final six holes to card a five-under 67.
However, both Lowry and Mcllroy dropped a shot on the 18th hole, on a day when strong winds made scoring difficult. Only 14 players managed to finish under par.
Other players’ performances
American Wyndham Clark handled the tough conditions the best, sinking three birdies in the final six holes to take a two-shot lead at five under. England’s Justin Rose briefly held the lead on the front nine but finished at two under, tied with Mcllroy. Rose’s round took a hit after he pushed his tee shot out of bounds on the ninth, resulting in a double bogey.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, also the defending champion, posted a 71, sitting alongside Justin Thomas, who made a strong recovery after a rough start that included two double bogeys in his first four holes.
Other athletes struggled, including former US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, who ran up a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four 11th hole, finishing with a 78. Reigning Open champion Xander Schauffele also had a difficult day, dropping six shots in the first 10 holes but managed to finish one stroke ahead of Fitzpatrick.