Wyndham Clark edges two clear at Arnold Palmer Invitational
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Wyndham Clark hits his tee shot on the 12th during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
PHOTO: AFP
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MIAMI – Wyndham Clark is hoping to build on momentum, as he conjured two birdies in his final three holes to open up a two-shot lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 6.
The 2023 US Open champion fired a five-under 67 to edge clear of the field at Bay Hill, Florida, on a day when gusty winds made for challenging conditions.
The 31-year-old separated himself from the pack after rolling in an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-five 16th, before a brilliant second shot on the 18th left him with a tap-in for birdie.
It marked an encouraging opening round for Clark, who finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in 2024.
“It’s nice to put some good numbers on this golf course and if anything it’s really good momentum for the rest of the week,” the American said.
With winds of up to 30 miles per hour buffeting the course throughout the day, Clark took advantage of a late afternoon lull to make his move over the final few holes.
“The last five holes it calmed down a little bit,” he added. “But then it was tough to find where the wind was, so that’s a challenge in itself... maybe the last four holes were easier.”
Clark leads from a group of four players tied on three under – Keegan Bradley, Canada’s Corey Conners, South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who all carded 69s.
Lowry flirted with finishing the day on top of the leaderboard after a superb eagle three at the par-five 16th, where his second shot from 195 yards left him with a six-foot putt that he duly rolled in.
He admitted he had also benefited from more benign afternoon conditions after watching the windswept morning with an increasing sense of dread.
“It didn’t look much fun out there – I wasn’t particularly looking forward to my round,” the Irishman said. “But I think we got favourable conditions. I was pretty happy with my result.”
Lowry’s playing partner, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, is one of five players tied for sixth place on two under.
McIlroy endured a see-saw round that included six birdies but was littered with four bogeys. Nevertheless, the four-time Major winner was pleased with his start.
“I think the guys that teed off a little later got a little bit of a reprieve,” he said. “It was still breezy, but not quite as tough as the guys got it this morning. Yeah, couple under was a good start.”
Defending champion Scheffler, meanwhile, was lurking a shot adrift of McIlroy in a heavyweight cluster of four players on one under which includes Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay. AFP
