– Daniel Berger (-13) has remained steady at the top of the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a level-par through the 15 holes he was able to play, since the third round could not be completed due to a one-hour suspension of play caused by a heavy downpour. Composure, craft and at least one standout in every facet of his game defined the Floridian’s performance this Saturday, but all things considered he perhaps lacked a bit of spark on the greens and left the back door open…
– And through that back door, for example his star playing partner Akshay Bhatia (-11) could sneak in, as he was two shots off the lead at the time of suspension and three-under through 16 holes. One important detail here: while Bhatia chose to finish the 16th, a par-5, and did so with a birdie, Berger elected to mark his ball without completing the hole, so he will start tomorrow with an eagle putt of about ten metres.
– Berger has stuck to the plan he set himself, avoiding big mistakes tee-to-green and keeping his composure in the most delicate moments, which there always are, to avoid big numbers. It’s true he carded two bogeys, but once again he read the greens at Bay Hill better than anyone, before and after the downpour, sinking very good long putts and barely having to fight to save pars that for no one were guaranteed Bhatia, true to his more or less unpredictable style, went back and forth several times, but he did hole a good handful of the so-called ‘bonus putts’ from mid- and long-range to overcome the course’s resistance and leave himself a reasonable chance of victory.
– Other contenders could also sneak in through the back door. They’re significantly further back and it’s unlikely that very low Sunday scores will be easy at Bay Hill, but at least count these three: Sepp Straka (-9, a 66 today, the best round of the day), Cameron Young (-9, a 67 today) and Collin Morikawa (-9, a 70 today). The Austrian, in particular, came close to perfection in many stretches today. He was by far the best despite the bogey he carded at 14 after missing a short putt.
– As you can see, Scottie Scheffler (-3) is not in the mix. The world No. 1 already had it tough when this third round began, but things were about to get much worse, if not impossible, with three surprisingly early bogeys (holes 1, 2 and 5). The truth is the Texan could do no right. He chained errors like few times we’ve seen him do, or rather, he couldn’t play a single tidy hole, especially in the first third of the round. No one benefited more from the enforced break due to the downpour because when play resumed he strung together four consecutive birdies between holes 11 and 14 that again put us in the scenario of an epic comeback, but Scheffler is in Sisyphean mode this week, so after once more pushing the boulder to the top, the rock rolled back down: a double-bogey at 18 after sending his second shot into the water from the rough. It will have to be at The Players next week when he again tries to piece together four rounds worthy of his legend, the one he’s been writing with a formidable hand over the last four years.
– Earlier the tournament had also lost Rory McIlroy, who withdrew before teeing off with a back injury. But the event has enough depth to withstand losing its two biggest draws. Bay Hill stands on its own. Also, tomorrow, if Berger isn’t sharp, a classic battle could be on the cards.
