Scottie Scheffler is heading into the Arnold Palmer Invitational in strong form.
Scheffler opened his 2026 PGA Tour campaign with a win at the American Express, then posted back-to-back top-four finishes at the WM Phoenix Open and Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He later finished tied for 12th at the Genesis Invitational.
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Scheffler will be feeling good about his chances this week, especially with two previous wins at Bay Hill already under his belt.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of the more demanding events on tour, and Scheffler has always been comfortable in those settings. His play during Wednesday’s Pro-Am also suggests he’s dialled in ahead of Thursday’s opening round.
Scottie Scheffler carded a front nine score of 29 at Bay Hill
Scheffler teed off in the first group of the Pro-Am at Bay Hill, getting underway just after 7 am. It wasn’t long before his impressive play started to turn heads.
He posted a front nine score of seven-under-par 29 on Wednesday, an impressive number given how tough Bay Hill can be.
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The world number one, now 29 years old, began with back-to-back pars before reeling off three straight birdies from the third through to the fifth.
Scheffler then added an eagle at the sixth hole and another par on seven before closing out his opening nine with birdies at both eight and nine.
If he can carry that level of play into the rest of the tournament, everyone else in the field is going to have a hard time keeping up.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler gives his thoughts on Bay Hill course adjustments
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the world number one gave his take on the recent changes to the golf course.
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“I always enjoy the harder tests that we see,” said Scheffler.
“When you think about those golf courses, you think about Muirfield, even when it’s soft it’s really challenging.
“This golf course, I would say, with the way the rough is now, how firm the greens are, that just gets so challenging. Here in Orlando, we typically always get wind. It’s very rare to get a stretch here where you don’t get a ton of wind”.
“I feel like the standard is usually about 10 to 20 miles an hour, which for golf is a great amount of wind. It’s not anything crazy where you’re afraid your ball’s going to blow or oscillate or anything like that, but it’s challenging enough where you really got to hit it extremely solid to get the ball through the wind and control it.“
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Scheffler has only played five events so far this season but has picked up exactly where he left off last year. He already has a win under his belt and continues to put in strong performances week after week.
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