Scottie Scheffler drives Hall Hill again, shoots under a pair in a heavy round open

Orlando, Fla. – It was the perfect bay of the hill at Arnold Palmera invitation with winds that glued to 30 mph, thick rough and solid greenery that rejected everything but the most anticipated shot.

It is the type of day Scottie Scheffler is used to Arnie’s place, where he won twice.

“You have chosen your poison here,” Scheffler said after the first round of 71, who left him two shots from lead. “You can probably create a story with what it is. The green are heavy, it’s rough high and the wind is up.”

Scheffler’s 1-round circle was almost four shots better than the field average (74.99) and one of only 11 sub-Rounds from the early wave. His performance should not have been a surprise given his record on Hill in Bay, where he won 2022. And again in ’24 again.

When he won last year, he closed 70, who were three shots better than the field average. And in the ’22, in similar bluster conditions, his 72 was 3 ½ shots better than the field average.

“I checked the results from the last few years and we could shot some decent rounds, sweep a little,” he recalled. “But I remember my first few years to come here, we had a lot of conditions that were similar today. They may not be colder temperatures, but definitely wind.”