March 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Daniel Berger hits his No. 7 tee shot during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Image Daniel Berger shot a 9-under 63 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday and made six birdies on the back nine to take a three-stroke lead.
Berger is comfortably ahead of Collin Morikawa and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (6-under 66) after a bogey-free trip around Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
Berger hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2021 and has struggled to regain competitiveness after missing half of 2022 and all of 2023 due to a back injury. He had a memorable day with his irons and wedges, setting up birdies from 6, 4 and 2 feet on the 7th, 10th and 11th.
Morikawa, who ended a more than two-year title drought at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month, had some ups and downs before achieving a stunning finish.
Morikawa, who recorded five birdies and three bogeys in 15 holes, made a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole, hit a dart and tapped in for an eagle on the par-3 17th hole, and then made a 27-foot birdie putt to finish at 4 under par over the last three holes.
Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas tied for fourth with Cameron Young with a 5-under 67. Xander Schauffele, Australia’s Adam Scott and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox were another step behind.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is in a decent position with a 2-under 70. He suffered from slow starts in each of his previous three tournaments, shooting sub-72 in the first round, but bounced back with decent performances each time.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler were among a handful of players to have completed their rounds as of 5:30pm ET. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a $20 million signature event, but a 36-hole cut places the top 50 and ties.
–Field level media
