Clark surges to first-round lead at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

ORLANDO, Fla. – Wyndham Clark finished second at last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, and if the way he started the 2025 tournament is any indication, he’s prepared to make a run at being fitted for a red cardigan Sunday afternoon.

Clark birdied three of his final six holes Thursday at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, and managed to keep his game under control despite cold and breezy conditions with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour en route to a 5-under-par 67 that left him atop the leaderboard following the first round.

Major championship winners Shane Lowry and Keegan Bradley, as well as Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Corey Conners, are tied for second at 3-under. Five other players – including 2018 API champion winner Rory McIlroy and 2013 U.S. Open winner Justin Rose – sit three strokes off the leader following round one.

“I don’t know if I figured out (the golf course), but I definitely feel a little more comfortable on it,” said Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion. “I don’t know, I just think there’s a lot of water, there’s a lot of trouble out here, and I think I’ve just gotten more comfortable with some of those tee shots. Maybe a little more conservative on some holes, maybe a little more aggressive on others.

“Then just thinking my way around the course better. I think in the past sometimes I would get out of position and I would try to make up for it and then I make a big number. I’ve just kind of learned to maybe put it back in play and just maybe make your par or bogey and not try to get those big numbers. So that’s maybe been it. It’s nice to put some good numbers on this golf course and, you know, if anything it’s really good momentum for the rest of the week.”

Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open winner, is seeking his fourth PGA TOUR victory, and recognizes that there is one man in the field that he’ll need to overcome. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is tied for 11th after shooting a first-round 71.

“I had a few tournaments last year that if Scottie wasn’t in the field I would have won,” said Clark, who also finished second to Scheffler at THE PLAYERS Championship last year, the week after API. “But that happens, and I was really pleased with my finishes. Maybe can I get some redemption in these next few weeks and hopefully Scottie’s not up there.”

Despite a solid first round, McIlroy said conditions made Thursday’s play a grind in the PGA TOUR’s fourth Signature Event of the season. With a field featuring 45 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, there is little margin for error.

“The fairways are quite narrow, and when you miss them you’re in that thick rough, and it just, you lose all control of your golf ball from there and you’re just hoping for a good lie to get it up somewhere near the green,” the four-time major champion winner explained. “I think the crosswinds were the most difficult part today.”

McIlroy has registered six top-10 finishes at Bay Hill, including a runner-up finish in 2023 and his victory in 2018. He said he loves the challenge that the layout presents.

“I think it demands good ball striking,” McIlroy said. “You have to really control, especially today, control your flight and distance very well with your irons. That’s something that I’ve been working on quite a lot and feel like I’m pretty good at that. I think that’s the big thing. It’s not, there’s not a ton of drivers out there, you can get away with being a little more conservative off the tee. But it’s a great second-shot golf course and I feel like that’s why I’ve excelled here.”

The Arnold Palmer Invitational features a purse of $20 million, with $4 million and 700 FedExCup points awarded to the 2025 champion. As one of the three player-hosted invitationals among the PGA TOUR’s Signature Events, the tournament features a cut after the second round to the top 50 players and ties, and any additional players within 10 strokes of the lead.