Scottie Scheffler (-7), the world’s Number One, has made his first major statement of 2024. Let’s be clear, things weren’t going too badly for the lad, whose worst result this year was a 17th place and who also arrived this week at Bay Hill as the second in the Fedex Cup. But today he has looked sharper, more killer, more in tune with ‘I’m taking this tournament no matter what’. He has just had to add a couple of bonuses to his excellent tee to green game: a little approach here to make an eagle on the 12th, a pure birdie there, from about fourteen meters on the 15th… It has been said and explained enough in recent times: as soon as this player does something a little special on the greens, he’s already grabbing the trophy by a handle, more or less.
The Texan has signed a card of 67 strokes that lifts him to the top, a sidereal leadership shared with five other players after the second day. What a list. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is currently a blessed boiling pot. Alongside the Number One we have Shane Lowry (-7), who has held up there with a score of 71 strokes; Wyndham Clark (-7), who has delivered the best result of the day, 66 strokes; Brian Harman (-7), whose season is also not quite taking off and who might need to remind himself more often, to himself, what an extraordinary player he is; Hideki Matsuyama (-7), the Japanese bone of absolutely predictable unpredictability; and Russell Henley (-7), who has never won a major, like the rest of the co-leaders have, but who also fits part of the analysis made to Harman: he should remind himself more often what a great golfer he is.
The cliché is trite, almost horrific, but there is no choice but to bring it out of the trunk: brutal duel of titans at Bay Hill. Because the matter does not end here, at the top of the table, much less on a course where any mistake can be very costly and therefore alternatives and the sorpasso (what a delight to taste this kind of preparation, so demanding, from time to time) are and will be the order of the day. Right now, with 36 holes to go, we actually have about forty contenders for the win, all within a margin of six strokes.
If we continue with the list of illustrious, let’s say that just within the top ten we also have Will Zalatoris (-6), Viktor Hovland (-4), Justin Thomas (-4), Sahith Theegala (-4), Sam Burns (-4), Nick Taylor (-4) or Max Homa (-4), well accompanied by Jaeger (-5) and Grillo (-5). And how to discard guys like Conners (-3), Im (-3), Eckroat (-3), English (-2), Schauffele (-2), Pavon (-2)… Not even a Cameron Young (-1) or a Rory McIlroy (-1).
All this spiced up with the forecast of a third day that is shaping up to be the toughest of the week, especially if it doesn’t rain at all and the greens keep getting firmer and firmer, because in principle it will be the windiest day, although no hurricane should be expected. An invaluable Saturday at Bay Hill, that’s what awaits us.
