Xander Schauffele has admitted his surprise at seeing Daniel Berger manage to post a 63 on the opening day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Bay Hill always has the potential to be one of the toughest stops on the PGA Tour calendar. Scores of four, five, and nine under par have won tournaments since 2020.
So it was a huge statement of intent to see Berger take charge of the tournament with a sublime first round in Florida.
Xander Schauffele praises Daniel Berger after his opening round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
The 32-year-old did not drop a shot and made six birdies on the back nine to open up a notable lead heading into Friday’s second round.
One of those within the chasing pack is Xander Schauffele. The two-time major champion has been trending in the right direction in recent weeks, and continued to impress with a four under par round of 68 at Bay Hill.
Schauffele admitted that he was surprised by Berger’s score. He was subsequently asked just how impressive that round must have been.
“Really good. I don’t know what the next best score is, but assuming a lot. Four back? That makes sense. 63 out here is, you’re doing, he must have hit 16 greens and birdied all the par fives and did some extra curricular with the putter,” he said.
How close Daniel Berger came to tying the course record at Bay Hill
Berger posted one of the lowest rounds in the tournament’s history on Thursday. No winner can match his opening round score this century.
The course record at Bay Hill is 62, with Andy Bean, Greg Norman, and Adam Scott all reaching 10 under par. Scott’s round came 12 years ago when he went on to finish in third place, two shots behind Matt Every.
Berger has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He has given himself a phenomenal chance of ending that run this week.