Golf

Daniel Berger sets electrifying pace at Bay Hill

By AAP Newswire

Mar 7, 2026

Daniel Berger loves playing in Florida in March, but for everybody else Bay Hill felt like a spring preview of the US Open on Friday.

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Berger was on his game again in the most demanding conditions, leaning on a steady diet of fairways and greens in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He felt just as good about his lag putts as he did the five birdies he made in a round of four-under 68 for a five-shot lead.

"You've just got to stay patient and take what the course gives you," Berger said. "And when you have an opportunity, you've got to take advantage because there's not many of them out there."

Berger is at 13-under 131.

Akshay Bhatia posted the low round of a balmy afternoon with a 66 to get within five of the lead. Ludvig Aberg (71), Collin Morikawa (71) and Sahith Theegala (67) were another shot back.

Staying patient was a challenge.

"It felt like Sunday afternoon greens, but it's only Friday," Harris English said after a hard-earned 72. "I might have fixed three ball marks today because you can't find them. It's the US Open in spring."

Morikawa came up with a colour chart for the greens, which already were yellow by Wednesday.

"They're getting brown and they're going to be very, very brown - if not purple - by Sunday, and that's just part of this week," he said. "Yeah, that's the colour scale we tend to see."

Ben Griffin was one inside the cut line of two-over 146 when he faced a 30-foot par putt on the 18th. He ran that nearly 15 feet by the hole, missed it and was cleaning out his locker.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler (71) was stunned when his bunker shot on the 15th rolled out by the hole and never stopped rolling until it went off the green 30 feet away. He chipped that in for par.

But on the 18th, his 30-foot birdie putt that he barely touched raced some 10 feet by for a bogey and a 71, leaving him 10 behind.

After his promising 68, Adam Scott followed up with a 73 to drop nine places.

The Queenslander was three-under for his round but came unstuck on the back nine, where he had a 38 that included four bogeys in the last six holes.

Compatriot Min Woo Lee posted a one-under 71 to climb to four under and a tie for ninth.

Min Woo went out in 33 with four birdies and a bogey, but three bogeys - including on the last - saw him return with 38.

Jason Day made his second consecutive 74 to miss the cut by two.