The first round of the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational started with a bang today as Masters champion Adam Scott (pictured above) tied the course record at Bay Hill. Starting out this morning on the tenth tee, his 10-under 62 might of been so much better had he not taken a bogie at the 18th hole and narrowly missed a very make-able putt on the 8th hole, his seventeenth of the round.
Scott shot the lowest round in 30 years at Bay Hill as he made two eagle putts and made seven other birdies to give himself a three-shot lead at the end of an ideal weather day. Andy Bean (1981) and Greg Norman (1984) are the only two other players to shoot 62 on the course.
Despite Tiger Woods withdrawal earlier in the week, large crowds still came out to watch some of the best players in the world. Fan favorite Bubba Watson (pictured above) excited the crowd on the 6th hole as he seemed determined to emulate John Daly, who took an 18 on the same hole in 1998, as he took four drives off the tee as three of them found water. Watson ended up taking an 11 on the par 5 hole and that coupled with a 7 at the par 4 18th hole saw his round add up to a messy 83, some 21 shots behind leader Scott.
Watson then stated on Twitter that he was withdrawing from the tournament because of allergies. No doubt a few important eyebrows in the golf world will be raised at that news!
Ryo Ishikawa (pictured above left) and John Merrick (pictured above right) carded -7 65’s while Gonzalo Fernndez-Castano saw his day end with a 66 and solo 4th place at -6.
So all attention will be on Adam Scott tomorrow to see if he can maintain his lead. If he does so and if he ends up as the 2014 Arnpld Palmer Invitational champion, it’s highly likely that he will pass Tiger Woods for world No. 1 before Augusta and The Masters rolls around. It promises to be a great weekend!