Birds of a Feather, Flock Together

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 5, 2026) – Thursday’s opening round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard saw the field of 72 dialed in and taking advantage of forgiving course conditions to score a combined total of 258 birdies and eagles.
 
Daniel Berger, who spent the final months of 2025 rehabbing a broken finger, blazed through the back nine carding six of his nine birdies to perch himself atop the field at 9-under-par, but Collin Morikawa’s eagle and seven birdies has the two-time major championship winner lurking just two-strokes behind heading into the second round.
 
“Listen, it’s going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging week,” Berger explained. “You can already see the course is – the greens are like, white. A little bit of wind, a little bit less moisture, and it’s just going to be like a U.S. Open. I think when you come to Bay Hill to play this event you know what you’re getting, and so it doesn’t shock me. You’re ready for it.”
 
The morning wave pounced on the opportunity to go low, but as the heat intensified throughout the afternoon, greens became a little harder, a little tougher. And a number of players found themselves negotiating various wind speeds that often changed between shots.
 
“The wind kind of kept switching throughout the day,” Morikawa said after his round. “We were (playing with a lot) on 6-iron… switched to 7-iron… I hit three 7-irons to finish the day, three birdies, I’ll take it. But 6-under and to be finished out here, pretty happy with the way Thursday’s started.”
 
He was not giving himself enough credit. One of those birdies was actually an eagle, as he played his last three holes at four-under-par.
 
The field knows what this course is capable of as they look toward the weekend, but everyone knows that one swing can change the trajectory of their tournament.
 
Jhonattan Vegas was facing a six-and-a-half-foot putt for par on 18 to close his round at six-under, but pushed the putt and ended up at five-under after carding a bogey. His round, however, was one he felt was one of the best he’s ever played on the PGA TOUR.
 
“If I had to compare, it would probably be the 2018 U.S. Open, (when) I shot, I don’t know, 3-, 4-under at Shinnecock on Saturday and went from 60th to tied for the lead,” Vegas remembered. “So, it has that U.S. Open kind of feel to it. I think the course is just going to get tougher as the week goes on.
 
A number of players in the clubhouse weren’t overly satisfied with their opening rounds, however, with 18 holes to play before the cut after Friday’s round, the general consensus is that the course will grow tougher to navigate.
 
“The greens are going to get firmer,” Vegas added. “As you can see on 18, there’s a little bit of reception when you’re hitting a wedge in there, and I just, I don’t think that’s going to last.”
 
Two-time winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scottie Scheffler, was two-under through his first four holes. With two birdies and two bogies over his last 14 holes, the defending champion finds himself seven strokes behind Berger, sitting tied for 18th with eight others.
 
“I think being satisfied is always a bit of a stretch in golf,” he said. “I felt like I made a couple mistakes that I shouldn’t have, but overall I did some really good stuff out there. Anything under par on this golf course is a decent score.”
 
Play resumes Friday morning at 7:40 ET, with GOLF Channel broadcasting live from 2 – 6 p.m. ET.