ORLANDO – A U.S. Open broke out a few months early at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
On another warm, sunny day that baked greens to a yellowish shade of split pea soup, scores soared in a frisky, fickle wind that puffed about the course, nudging golf balls in various directions. Only four players managed to break par in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the field combined to shoot 266-over par on Sunday for the highest scoring average (75.5) at this event since 1981. It also marked the first single-digit under-par winner on the Tour since Jon Rahm at the 2021 U.S. Open in June.Rory McIlroy, who struggled to shoot a pair of 76s on the weekend, summed up the feelings of many.
“I feel punch drunk, to be honest,” McIlroy said. “It’s frustrating. It’s hard to keep your patience out there.”
API: Leaderboard | Photos | Winner’s bag
More: Scheffler wins WM Phoenix Open in playoff
The player who did it best was none other than Scottie Scheffler, who shot even-par 72 for a total of 5-under 283, and one stroke better than Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel. Scheffler, the winner of the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2020, won for the second time in his past three tournaments. It took a while to notch the first win, but hardly any time at all to validate.
“I always viewed it as I had to play kind of this perfect version of golf,” Scheffler said after winning his first PGA Tour title at the WM Phoenix Open in February. “I proved a little bit to myself that it doesn’t take perfect.”
Scheffler opened with rounds of 70-73 before shooting one of the rounds of the tournament on Saturday, a 4-under 68 that included three birdies and an eagle on the inward nine.
“I played with a guy who’s one of the best players in the world, and he played a really good round of golf and made it look pretty easy,” said Max Homa.
Asked after his round on Saturday if he felt as if he had played himself back into the tournament, Scheffler said, “I didn’t really feel out of it at the beginning of the day, but sure.”
In the final round, he overcame a sluggish start with bogeys on two of his first three holes and missed a five-foot par putt at nine to make the turn one stroke behind Hovland. But as others faltered in the howling wind, Scheffler didn’t make another bogey. He tacked on a birdie at the par-5 12th to reach 5 under and made pars all the way to the house, including a 69-foot two putt at the last. It was a triumph of will power as much as athletic skill.
Gary Woodland showed how quickly fortunes could change. The 2019 U.S. Open champion drilled his second at the par-5 16th to 24 feet and canned the putt for eagle to seize the lead for the first time all week at 6 under. But one hole later, Woodland caught the front greenside bunker and failed to escape on his first attempt. He missed a five-foot bogey putt and just as quickly as he had assumed the lead, it was gone. Then he made bogey at the last to close in 73 at 3-under 285 and finish T-5.
Scheffler handled the imposing sequence of finishing holes that test not only the skills but the nerves of a player better than anyone else.
“I trusted myself as much as I ever had,” he said. “It’s nice to get a couple of wins under my belt and I’m looking forward to rest of the season.”