Arnold Palmer Invitational R1

Rory McIlroy takes opening lead at Bay Hill

The Editorial Team|March 4, 2022
Categories: PGA Tour, The Tours

Palmer Invitational 2022 R1
March 03-06
Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
$12,000,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes


Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy carded his lowest start at Bay Hill, firing three birdies and an eagle on the par-5s for a 65 on Thursday to take a two-shot lead at 7-under in the at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.


Palmer Invitational 2022 R1

“I think you turn up at any golf course where you’ve had success, and automatically you’re going to have some confidence coming in. I’ve shot some really nice scores here. I think the last couple of years I’ve opened up the tournament really well with scores similar to what I shot today.”


Palmer Invitational 2022 R1

“I feel there’s a nice flow to this golf course where you can really build a score. You have par-5s, one every few holes, and you’ve got a couple of scorable par-4s. As long as you don’t do anything stupid and you keep it in play, you feel like you can sort of methodically build a score on this golf course. That’s what I tried to do today.

“I played the par-5s particularly well, and that was the bulk of the score. I’ve said this all along, you can play within yourself here and still shoot a good score, I feel, if you’re just disciplined and pick off the birdies where you’re supposed to.”


Palmer Invitational 2022 R1

Americans Beau Hossler, Billy Horschel and a bogey-free J.J. Spaun are tied in second place at 5-under.

“I think I’m trending definitely in the right direction,” said Spaun. “I’m making a lot of cuts. I’m saving those weeks where I can be 50th or worse into 30th or top 25s. I think that is kind of bleeding into my game. Also like my confidence where like, if I don’t play well the first round, like I know I can bring it back. It’s not like game over. I don’t have to get off to a hot start to kind of cozy my way into the weekend.

“I’ve just been believing in myself a lot. The game’s been there too. It’s nice to make some putts and make it relatively stress free today. I know it’s not going to be like that every day, but it’s nice to get at least one round like that.”

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and England’s Ian Poulter are tied in fifth place alongside Americans Will Zalatoris and Charles Howell III as well as Australian Adam Scott.


Palmer Invitational 2022 R1

Pos.PlayerTo ParR1
1Rory McIlroy-765
T2Beau Hossler-567
T2J.J. Spaun-567
T2Billy Horschel-567
T5Graeme McDowell-468
T5Sungjae Im-468
T5Will Zalatoris-468
T5Adam Scott-468
T5Charles Howell III-468
T5Ian Poulter-468
T11Adam Long-369
T11Talor Gooch-369
T11Si Woo Kim-369
T11Max Homa-369
T11Chris Kirk-369
T11Aaron Wise-369
T11Hayden Buckley-369
T11Viktor Hovland-369
T11Tyrrell Hatton-369
T11Patton Kizzire-369
T21Brendan Steele-270
T21Cameron Young-270
T21Lee Westwood-270
T21K.H. Lee-270
T21Gary Woodland-270
T21Nick Taylor-270
T21Scottie Scheffler-270
T21Rickie Fowler-270
T21Stephan Jaeger-270
T21Russell Henley-270
T21Davis Riley-270
T21Adam Schenk-270
T21Lee Hodges-270
T21Matt Jones-270
T21Lanto Griffin-270
T21Dylan Frittelli-270
T21Marc Leishman-270
T21Cameron Champ-270
T21Henrik Norlander-270
T21Adam Svensson-270
T41Keegan Bradley-171
T41Doug Ghim-171
T41Taylor Pendrith-171
T41Branden Grace-171
T41Pat Perez-171
T41Troy Merritt-171
T41Taylor Moore-171
T41Greyson Sigg-171
T41Paul Casey-171
T41David Lipsky-171
T51Chez ReavieE72
T51Keith MitchellE72
T51Zach JohnsonE72
T51Sebastián MuñozE72
T51Patrick RodgersE72
T51Vince WhaleyE72
T51Martin LairdE72
T51Corey ConnersE72
T51Matthew WolffE72
T51Patrick ReedE72
T51Sam BurnsE72
T51Jon RahmE72
T63Matt Fitzpatrick+173
T63Denny McCarthy+173
T63Lucas Herbert+173
T63Kevin Tway+173
T63Hideki Matsuyama+173
T63Henrik Stenson+173
T63Sahith Theegala+173
T63Padraig Harrington+173
T63Sam Ryder+173
T63Anirban Lahiri+173
T63Danny Lee+173
T63Maverick McNealy+173
T63Brandt Snedeker+173
T63Danny Willett+173
T63Erik van Rooyen+173
T63Jason Kokrak+173
T63Brendon Todd+173
T63Alex Smalley+173
T63Christiaan Bezuidenhout+173
T63Davis Thompson+173
T83Nick Watney+274
T83Aaron Rai+274
T83Sean O’Hair+274
T83Jonathan Byrd+274
T83Thomas Pieters+274
T83Justin Rose+274
T83Luke List+274
T83Sam Bennett (a)+274
T83Tommy Fleetwood+274
T83Lucas Glover+274
T83Andrew Putnam+274
T83Takumi Kanaya+274
T83John Pak+274
T96Cam Davis+375
T96Kevin Kisner+375
T96Greg Koch+375
T96Peter Malnati+375
T96Kevin Streelman+375
T96Sergio Garcia+375
T96Nicolai Hojgaard+375
T96Min Woo Lee+375
T104Matt Wallace+476
T104Scott Stallings+476
T104Sepp Straka+476
T104Paul Barjon+476
T104Scott Piercy+476
T109Trey Mullinax+577
T109Charl Schwartzel+577
T109Hudson Swafford+577
T109Carlos Ortiz+577
T109Rory Sabbatini+577
T109Michael Thompson+577
T115Cameron Tringale+678
T115Garrick Higgo+678
T115Tom Hoge+678
T115James Piot (a)+678
119Seamus Power+880
120Kevin Na+981
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The editorial team at Golf Today strives to provide readers with captivating content that celebrates the rich heritage and exciting developments in the world of golf. Their collective expertise and dedication ensure that Golf Today remains a premier destination for golf enthusiasts seeking the latest news, insightful analysis, and engaging stories from the world of golf.

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Updated: October 6, 2022
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