There was plenty of carnage during Round 1 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as the wind played a major factor for most of the day. Anyone who got caught in the morning wave was at a significant disadvantage, and because of this there are now quite a few notable names on the brink of being cut.
The format is a little different this week due to the API being a Signature Event, as there are only 72 golfers in the field. The cut line will consist of the top 50 and ties, along with anyone within 10 strokes of the leader after Round 2.
Akshay Bhatia caught the worst of it, as he was out early this morning when the wind was howling. He’s rostered at just over 12% in the DraftKings $1M Sand Trap, and fired a seven-over-par 79. Bhatia opened the round with a double bogey on the first hole, before posting a triple bogey on the par-5 6th hole. He made just three birdies on the day and is currently two strokes back of the projected +5 cut line.
Harris English had one of the latest tee times on the day, but still couldn’t get anything going. He shot a four-over 76 and made just two birdies. English is a bit chalkier than Bhatia, coming in at 14% in the DraftKings $1M Sand Trap, but will also have his work cut out for him tomorrow, as he’ll likely need to shoot at least a 73 to make the weekend.
In terms of big names who struggled, Xander Schauffele was by far worst of the bunch, as he fired a five-over 72 and made just one birdie on his round. Schauffele was making his first start in over two months due to a rib injury, and the rust was clearly there. Thankfully for DFS players, he was not nearly as popular as the other expensive options this week.
In terms of the good, Wyndham Clark took advantage of the positive weather draw and shot the round of the day, posting a five-under 67 to lead the field by two strokes. He had it all working on Thursday, ranking inside the top 18 in all four Strokes Gained categories, while draining six birdies to just one bogey.
There’s currently a four-way tie for second place right now at three-under-par, led by Keegan Bradley and Shane Lowry. Lowry made three birdies, one eagle and two bogeys, while leading the entire field in SG: Approach. Bradley posted four birdies to just one bogey.
As for the heavy hitters, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler both played well on Thursday. McIlroy shot a two-under 70 and sits just three strokes back of Clark, while Scheffler posted a one-under 71 and sits four back.
Despite Clark sitting as first-round leader, Scheffler and McIlroy are currently the two betting favorites to win the event on DraftKings Sportsbook, sitting at +300 and +400, respectively.