Daniel Berger extended his lead to five shots Friday at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, reversing a first-round 63 with a second-round 68 to move to 13 under par and create a huge lead.
If there was any question of how Berger would handle an 18-hole lead on the PGA Tour for the first time in four years, he answered right away with a birdie on the first hole and another on the par-5 sixth hole, pushing him to double digits under par and dashing hopes on the field that Berger would be back on Friday.
Regardless of how Berger’s swing went this week, it’s working great for him in Bay Hill’s incredibly difficult conditions. He talked about that challenge after the second round, stressing that he probably hit the ball better with Friday’s 68 than Thursday’s 63. But as the greens continue to get firmer and faster, it becomes increasingly difficult to create really good birdie opportunities.
“I felt like I was able to hit it today and my score wasn’t too low,” Berger said. “But yeah, it’s just one of those courses. It’s dangerous. You just have to be patient and accept what the course gives you, and when you have an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it, because there aren’t that many people out there.”
Berger has been working on all aspects of his game through the first two rounds and currently ranks in the top 10 in tee shot gains (7th), approaches (2nd) and putting (3rd). That was the definition of a balanced performance, and it allowed him to maintain a massive lead and pull away from the field heading into the weekend.
The advantage Berger has heading into the weekend is that he can more easily tolerate a five-shot lead. Teams chasing Berger will have to take more risks to close the gap. At the same time, he will have to contend with a course that looks increasingly difficult as he tries to deal with the nerves of playing in the lead for the first time in four years over the weekend.
It is thought that the place where these nerves are most active is on the green. It was already glassy on Friday, but with no rain in the forecast and stronger winds, it will continue to get drier and more severe.
“It’s very easy to run 6, 7, 8, 9 feet by the hole,” Berger said. “They’re lightning fast, borderline fast. When you put the putter down, there’s almost no friction. The putter just wants to glide. So it’s a great challenge. It feels like the U.S. Open.”
As he prepares for the weekend in first place, he knows the formula for turning a five-shot lead into his fifth PGA Tour victory is simple.
“Fairways and greens. If you can do that, it’s hard for other guys to catch you,” Berger said. “The challenge will be hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens over the next few days.”
leader
1. Daniel Berger (-13)
It’s pretty wild to reach 13 under after 36 holes on this course in these conditions. At some point, you’d have to think Berger will encounter some adversity, but the way he’s been hitting the ball this week, there’s nothing to indicate he’ll regress too much. This wasn’t an otherworldly putting performance that covered up other erratic elements of his game, he was just completely dominant from tee to green. From what Sam Saunders said on the Golf Channel broadcast, they seem comfortable pushing the greens to the limit to seriously challenge them this weekend, which creates some concern for Berger, but it also means it’s going to be very difficult for anyone to produce a low round to make a big run on him.
other candidates
2. Akshay Bhatia (-8)
T3. Colin Morikawa, Ludwig Oberg, Saheeth Segala (-7)
6. Rickie Fowler (-6)
T7. Russell Henry, Xander Schaufel (-5)
T9. Rory McIlroy and 5 others (-4)
T15. Scotty Scheffler and 4 others (-3)
The low round of the day came from Akshay Bhatia. Despite the erratic performance with his driver, Bhatia smashed it midway through, scoring a 66 thanks to strong iron play and incredible rounds on and around the greens. He continues to be on the event leaderboard to start this season, and if he can keep up his enthusiasm with the putter, he’ll have a chance to reel Berger in.
Segala also had a great Friday, shooting a 5-under 67 that puts him in contention as he continues to improve heading into 2026. Morikawa and Oberg each intended to move down the order and close in on Berger, but with Morikawa making a few bogeys early on and Oberg stumbling mid-round, they were unable to move into the lead.
Fowler has continued to play consistently this season, and while he may need help from Berger, Fowler’s solid golf could trickle to the surface on Sunday if Reeder starts backing up. Defending champion Russell Henry got off to a slow start and dropped his shot, but will be aiming for another top-10 finish at Bay Hill, along with Xander Schauffele, who also appears to be back on the upswing.
And there’s a group that could join that group if Berger falls back significantly on Saturday, or if either of them can get an early start and get a low finish before getting hit by strong winds. The group is led by two of the world’s top players. Rory McIlroy found a late kick on the back nine and shot a 68 to move into the top 10, while Scottie Scheffler got off to a disappointing three-putt bogey on the 18th and stumbled (after dumping the ball into the water) with a 71, falling 10 strokes off the pace.
Those two will need something special to put real pressure on Berger this weekend, but if anyone in that group has the firepower to add to the team, they’ll be the frontrunners.
Notable players who missed out
- JJ Spahn (+3)
- Shane Lowry (+3)
- Sam Barnes (+4)
- Patrick Cantlay (+4)
- Justin Rose (+6)
- Justin Thomas (+14)
After last week’s heartbreak, Lowry struggled to regain his form in the first two rounds of the week, ending his weekend with a bogey on the 18th on Friday. Rose started the second round at 2 under, but shot a shocking 80 on Friday that sent him well past the cut line. Justin Thomas, who Bay Hill has put to a very tough test as he prepares to return to PGA Tour competition, also recorded consecutive 79-second times in his first tournament since back surgery in November.
2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds and nominations updated
- Daniel Berger (+110)
- Collin Morikawa (15/2)
- Ludwig Oberg (19/2)
- Akshay Bhatia (10-1)
- Scotty Scheffler (13-1)
- Rory McIlroy (18-1)
It’s really hard to pick someone with a five-shot lead, but there’s a lot of potential for things to go wrong over 36 holes, and I think it’s worth going into Saturday if the odds are long. Considering Batia’s play all year, I think his current 10-1 record in solo second play has some value. I also think Rickie Fowler will continue to do well, and if Berger falls back on a difficult Saturday, he could be on the team and the odds could be reduced from 22-1.
