Daniel Berger and everyone else were there Thursday at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge. The 32-year-old delivered a clean performance in the opening refrain of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, posting a 9-under 63 after the first round, three shots behind Collin Morikawa and Ludwig Oberg.
Berger’s 63 was the lowest round at Bay Hill in more than a decade since Adam Scott had a 62 in 2014. The round Berger marked was the second-lowest round of his PGA Tour career, with his best record being a 62 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
“I’m playing well. One hit here, one hit there, things don’t go my way,” Berger said. “And even last week, I played pretty well, but I didn’t score as much as I wanted to. I’m really just letting loose and having fun. I’m just coming out here and doing what I want to do, not thinking about the outcome, just sticking to the process that I know works for me.”
What makes Berger’s performance even more impressive is that he revealed that he broke his finger while playing in the BMW Championship last summer. He said it’s an injury that can take up to a year to fully heal, and there are good days and bad days. Thursday was definitely one of the better days.
Berger recorded nine pars and nine birdies for a 63, with his longest putt coming from just 12 feet. He has been plagued by repeated injuries during that time, and will need more of the same if he is to secure his first win in more than five years.
Looking in the rearview mirror, Morikawa admitted that last year’s tournament was still fresh in his mind. Morikawa was unable to turn a back-nine lead into a victory in Orlando 12 months ago. Like Oberg, who put together a low round in the afternoon when conditions improved, he is well on his way to preparing for a similar type of run this weekend.
Meanwhile, other notable players on the leaderboard include Cameron Young with a 66, Xander Schauffele, who was one worse without a bogey, and Chris Gottapp, who posted a 69 to join Rickie Fowler in the top 10.
Scottie Scheffler silenced his first-round critics with a round of 70, two strokes better than Rory McIlroy’s late 72.
“It’s going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging week,” Berger said. “You can tell by now…the greens are like white. So with a little bit of wind and a little less humidity, it’s going to be like the U.S. Open. I think you know what you’re getting when you come to Bay Hill to play this event. So I’m not shocked. I’m ready.”
leader
1. Daniel Berger (-9): Golf isn’t easy around Bay Hill, but Berger didn’t care Thursday. The former world top 20 player birdied half of his holes, all from inside 12 feet. Making all his 50-50 putts in the 8-foot range and giving himself plenty of chances, he swept the field with one of the best rounds of his career and one of the best in Bay Hill history.
“If I had to compare it, it would probably be the 2018 U.S. Open. Saturday at Shinnecock, I shot, I don’t know, 3-under, 4-under and went from tied for 60th to tied for first,” Berger said of the best round of his career. “So it’s got a U.S. Open feel to it. I think the course gets tougher as the week goes on.”
“The greens are going to get firmer. As you can see on the 18th, when you hit the wedge there’s a little bit of reception, but I don’t think it’s going to last long. So, yeah, hit it in the fairway and try to make as many putts as you can.”
contestant
T2. Collin Morikawa, Ludwig Oberg (-6)
T4. Cameron Young, Jonathan Vegas (-5)
T6. Ryan Fox, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott (-4)
T9. Billy Horschel, Minu Lee, Corey Connors, Harris English, Keith Mitchell, Bud Corey, Kurt Kitayama, Chris Gottapp, Rickie Fowler (-3)
The two-time major champion seemed refreshed and re-energized after winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Morikawa made strides in his iron play, finishing second behind Berger in the first round, and is striding with a confidence not seen since the early 2020s.
In addition to his patented iron play, Morikawa appears to have found his answer on the greens. He ranked in the top 10 in that category Thursday thanks to records of 40 feet, 21 feet, 39 feet, 16 feet and 29 feet. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that’s a winning recipe.
Morikawa said, “I’ll never forget how I played last year.” “I guess you don’t want to forget, like I was still playing consistently. But I want to finish the event. Don’t dwell on it. Learn from it, move on and live from it. That’s the most important thing. How can I take as many good shots as I did last year? This has been the course since the beginning of last year, but like I said yesterday, I think I missed the cut two in a row.”
“So, I was like, ‘Okay, maybe there’s a way to come here and decide on a golf course and plan for the rest of it. It’s been really nice to be able to keep doing that. Today, it was kind of back and forth. I played some good golf, made some bogeys, made some mistakes. And to be able to finish that is a good way to look at the next few days and say, okay, how many more days of good golf can I continue to do?”
The beginning of Schaeffler
The opening game of the 1970s begins again! The sky is falling. Oh my god! Not so fast, my friend. Scheffler’s first-round 70 was nearly two strokes above the field average, putting the world No. 1 in prime position to compete for the red cardigan for the third time in the past five years over the next 54 holes. No need to overcome the lack of 10 strokes this week.
Schaeffler introduced a new driver Thursday and utilized it effectively, gaining nearly a stroke on the field with that club in particular. Scheffler, who had a mostly average performance on the greens, noticed that his irons were a little slower than usual. He connected on just 10 greens in regulation. Most people assume that no matter how hard a golf course plays, the marks will improve.
“I think in golf it’s always a little bit of a stretch to be satisfied,” Scheffler said. “No, I feel like I did a really good job. I felt like I made a few mistakes that I shouldn’t have made, but overall I did a really good job. Any under par is a decent score on this golf course.”
Updated odds and picks for the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Daniel Berger: 5-1
- Scotty Scheffler: 6-1
- Collin Morikawa: 7-1
- Ludwig Oberg: 15/2
- Cameron Young: 11-1
- Xander Schauffele: 13-1
- Adam Scott: 25-1
Oberg is the only player listed above who played in the difficult afternoon waves by nearly two strokes. Like the 35-1 Fowler, who was one of my picks before the tournament, he should be in calm conditions come Friday morning. He drove the ball well and putted as confidently as ever, leaving no mistakes on Thursday’s scorecard. More of the same and he should be ready for a weekend run.
