Scottie Scheffler (-1) kicked off the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a pinpoint birdie on the first hole. However, the defending champion’s early charge came to an abrupt halt right there. A double bogey on the par-3 second hole—after missing the tee shot to the wrong side and then taking three putts—brought the Texan back to the uncomfortable reality he’s been grappling with in this early phase of the season. Here, he’s revealed as more of a mere mortal than the levitating figure we saw in 2024 and much of 2023.
It’s just a figure of speech, of course: there were tournaments last year where he struggled with certain aspects of his game, typically the putter. But a slump like the current one hasn’t been seen in quite some time. After all, Scheffler is playing his fourth event of the year this week and has yet to truly contend at the top, not even at the Genesis—his last outing before Bay Hill—where he finished an impressive third thanks to a strong final round.
Something isn’t clicking as it should. The infamous domestic accident—those cursed ravioli—disrupted the natural order of things, his plans, and so far, Scheffler hasn’t managed to rediscover his peak form. Today, for instance, an unstable and erratic game in the first third of the round pushed him dangerously far from the leaderboard’s hot zone (a partial of +3 through the first six holes). When he didn’t miss off the tee, he flubbed the approach; and the putter, far from bailing him out, only made things worse—all this on a Bay Hill that was kinder than Thursday’s brutal conditions, though still plenty demanding despite the absence of wind.
This year, in similar stretches where things weren’t going his way, we’ve seen him lose patience and appear rattled. Today, however, the World Number One proved why he holds that title, even in adversity. Today called for rowing against the tide, and that’s exactly what he did. After such a shaky start, it was time to get serious, composed, and grind through the round with an extra dose of focus. That’s how he navigated the course—gradually improving his performance and capping it with a superb birdie on 18 that placed him back among the select group still beating the course after two rounds.
More than that, Scheffler struck the ball far better as the holes progressed, especially with greater consistency and repetition, setting aside frustration and zeroing in on the tough task at hand (and ahead). Over the back nine, on Bay Hill’s rock-hard greens, the Texan resembled his tee-to-green best, though with little help from a putter that only shone on 18, where he sank a slick five-meter putt. It’s a cliché, but unavoidable—especially with this player: Scheffler hasn’t said his final word. Sitting seven shots behind leader Shane Lowry (-8) with 36 holes to go on a course that can undo anyone at any moment, his margin for error is razor-thin. And that’s putting it generously.
Also noteworthy is Collin Morikawa’s standout performance (-5), coming from the late groups, thrusting himself squarely into contention, alongside the grit (and class) of Xander Schauffele (+4). The Californian dug deep to salvage a cut that looked all but lost after back-to-back double bogeys on 11 and 12, ultimately finishing under par for the day.
