Scott feels better, leads PGA event
Masters champion Adam Scott was feeling ill when he arrived at Bay Hill. One majestic round with the putter Thursday made him feel a lot better.
Scott made five putts from about 20 feet or longer, two of them for eagle and one of them from off the green for birdie, and matched the course record with a 10-under 62 to build a three-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The conditions were close to perfect. So was his work on the greens.
“I made a lot of putts today, and a lot of putts from considerable length,” Scott said. “I hit a lot of nice shots, too, but it wasn’t like I was hitting it 4 feet. I had a round like this in Australia at the end of last year in the first six holes, I didn’t hit it outside 5 feet. There’s a lot of different ways to get the ball in the hole. But it’s good for the confidence. It’s what I wanted. I sat in here yesterday and said I’d like to make some birdies and build the confidence. And today is a good start to that.”
Ryo Ishikawa, who uses Bay Hill as his home course on the East Coast, birdied the 18th for a 65. John Merrick celebrated his 32nd birthday by reaching 8 under until a late bogey. He also shot 65.
Park leads LPGA event: Top-ranked Inbee Park birdied her final three holes for a 6-under 66 and a share of the JTBC Founders Cup lead among the early starters.
Coming off a victory two weeks ago in China in a Ladies European Tour event, Park closed with a tap-in birdie on the par-4 ninth after nearly holing a pitching wedge from 134 yards at Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club.
“It was a very solid round,” Park said. “Very good irons today.”
Morgan Pressel was 7 under after eight holes in her afternoon round in perfect conditions with the temperature in the low 80s.
Good start for Wheatcroft: Steve Wheatcroft, a former Washington resident, shot a 2-under-par 68 and is two shots off the lead in the first round of the Panama Claro Championship in Panama City, Panama.
Aron Price leads the field with a 4-under 66.