Bay Hill showed its teeth on day one of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Strong winds, heavy rough and firm greens tested the field at the fourth Signature Event of the year.
World number seven Wyndham Clark carded the standout round. The American sits five under and two shots clear of a four-way tie for second. World number one Scottie Scheffler is one under, four shots back.
The two-time Masters winner faced the worst of the conditions, and after his round, Scheffler admitted the greens were tricky. Unsurprisingly, several players were over par, and three golfers shot 80 and above.
One player near the foot of the leaderboard is South African star Aldrich Potgieter. Potgieter, the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, has caught the eye recently and came close to his first Tour win at the Mexico Open.
The 20-year-old, however, is facing a much sterner challenge this week.
Golf fans react to ‘worst tee shot’ ever hit on the PGA Tour
Playing the par-five sixth, Potgieter appeared to be setting up for a conservative line on the risk-reward hole.
Amazingly, the South African topped his tee shot straight into the lake, no more than 60 yards. The data suggested his drive went over 200 yards, which many fans disagreed with.
“As someone who is rather adept at this shot, there’s no way this goes 216,” this fan wrote X.
Another said: “Gotta be one of the worst tee shots ever hit by a pro. That doesn’t carry 150.”
There were also fans online who could relate to Potgieter’s struggles. “My lord, we have all been here,” this fan said.
Another wrote, “He made a small divot behind the ball—lmao, it’s unreal…. It shows even the best can be one of us, for sure.”
Max Homa and Cameron Young struggle at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
It wasn’t just Potgieter who ran into trouble on Thursday. In fact, the South African did well to bounce back.
After making a double-bogey on the sixth and three more bogeys before the 12th, Potgieter made two birdies coming in to salvage his round somewhat.
The same cannot be said for Max Homa and Cameron Young. Homa made eight bogeys and one double to shoot 81. The American was left to rue a costly five on the par-three 17th.
As for Young, the 2022 Open Championship runner-up made a triple bogey on the first before also carding a seven on the par-four 11th. It was indeed a day to forget for the out-of-form American duo.
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