Daniel Berger increases advantage at Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. — Daniel Berger enjoys competing in Florida during March. For most participants on Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill resembled a spring preview of the U.S. Open.

Berger showcased his skills once more in the challenging conditions, relying on a consistent approach of hitting fairways and greens while feeling equally confident about his lag putts as he did about the five birdies he recorded in a round of 4-under 68, which positioned him with a five-shot advantage.

“You just have to remain patient and accept what the course offers you,” Berger stated. “And when an opportunity arises, you must capitalize because they are few and far between.”

Berger stood at 13-under 131.

Akshay Bhatia delivered the lowest round of a warm afternoon with a 66, closing the gap to five shots from the lead. Ludvig Åberg (71), Collin Morikawa (71), and Sahith Theegala (67) trailed by another stroke.

Maintaining patience proved to be a challenge.

“It felt like Sunday afternoon greens, but it’s only Friday,” Harris English remarked after a hard-fought 72. “I might have repaired three ball marks today because they are hard to find. It’s the U.S. Open in spring.”

Morikawa developed a color chart for the greens, which had already turned yellow by Wednesday.

“They’re turning brown and will likely be very, very brown — if not purple — by Sunday, and that’s just part of this week,” he noted. “Yes, that’s the color scale we typically observe.”

Ben Griffin was just inside the cut line of 2-over 146 when he faced a 30-foot par putt on the 18th. He ran that nearly 15 feet past the hole, missed it, and proceeded to clean out his locker.

Scottie Scheffler was taken aback when his bunker shot on the 15th rolled past the hole and continued rolling until it went off the green 30 feet away. He managed to chip that in for par. However, on the 18th, his 30-foot birdie putt that he barely touched raced about 10 feet past for a bogey and a 71, leaving him 10 shots behind.

He turned and tossed his golf ball into the water to express his frustration, and after signing his scorecard, he was asked how much tougher it would be over the weekend.

“They’re already dead. I’m not sure how much deader they can get. Like 15 is completely dead,” he stated. “When it hit the green, I thought I had it to 3 feet. And then it bounced unexpectedly forward. I don’t know how that occurred.”

He turned to his caddie, Ted Scott, and asked, “How did that ball bounce forward?”

“The same way the ball bounced backward on 9,” Scott replied.

“It’s been like this before,” Scheffler noted. “Typically here, if you play late Friday, they’re pretty much already dead. It’s not unusual. It’s a good test. It’s tough.”

This is the reality Bay Hill has become in recent years. The cut at 2-over 146 was actually lower than it has been in the previous two years when the Arnold Palmer Invitational was elevated.

Xander Schauffele concluded with two consecutive bogeys, spoiling an otherwise solid round of 71. Rory McIlroy played in the morning and recorded only one bogey in his round of 68 to ascend the leaderboard, only for Berger to match his score. McIlroy was nine shots behind.

“If we don’t receive any rain in the next couple of days — which seems likely — it’s going to be quite challenging,” McIlroy commented. “It’s difficult even if you hit the ball in the fairway. You’re consistently hitting good iron shots to 35, 30 feet, and then you’re not going to make many of those.”

All of this makes the task of catching Berger a bit more formidable.

He began with a 25-foot birdie putt, and his three birdies on the back nine were all from around 6 feet. However, he faced little stress on the long putts that he lagged reasonably close, which is no small feat on greens with so little grass.

Berger is among those in the field who has not secured a Masters invitation, making this week potentially significant. A victory would earn him a spot. Even a second-place finish would qualify him through the world ranking.

Before him lie 36 holes on a course that does not permit anyone to feel too secure.

“It’s a place where you can’t really force it; you can’t really try to make things happen. It’s just going to unfold,” Aberg stated.

This was the case for Justin Thomas, who is competing for the first time since the Ryder Cup in September due to lower back surgery. This was not an easy return. The two-time PGA champion opened with a 79 and followed with another 79.

“I’m doing my best to give myself a bit of grace considering how long I haven’t played and how challenging this sport can be,” Thomas expressed. “But at the same time, I hold myself to higher standards. I don’t think there’s any scenario where I should shoot 14-over par for two days.”