The Arnold Palmer Invitational lived up to its reputation for being a tough challenge on Thursday. With 4-inch rough, greens running at a speedy 13 on the stamp, and winds howling up to 30 mph, the course was no easy task. As the final groups teed off, only 10 players were under par, with none having completed their rounds yet. In contrast, 10 players had already posted scores of 78 or worse, including Cam Young, who struggled with a 10-over 82, and Max Homa, who shot an 81. The overall scoring average for the day? A challenging 75.46. Bay Hill proved to be a true test of skill and endurance.

For most of the players, the course was a difficult obstacle, and it was mostly because of the wind. Rory McIlroy, tied for the sixth position, said, “I think just crosswinds. The fairways are quite narrow and when you miss them you’re in that thick rough, and it, you lose all control of your golf ball from there and you’re just hoping for a good lie to get it up somewhere near the green. I think the crosswinds were the most difficult part today.” On the other hand, Keegan Bradley too was among the few players who went under-par. He is currently tied for the runner-up position, two strokes behind Wyndham Clark. When asked about the conditions, everything seemed to be difficult for him.

“This course has changed so much since my first year. I think that this is the hardest course we play all year. I used to think it was Torrey, I think it’s here now. The four par-5s and you’re still, you know, really got it to play well to shoot under par. Sprinkle in some conditions like this, it’s tough,” he said. The 17th hole, which was once only the eighth easiest hole in the course, is now made the toughest hole in it. That’s how rapidly things have changed. But well, for the World No. 1, things were different.  Although Scottie Scheffler is on T11, it seems as if the wind was just a natural presence for him. When asked about it, he casually replied, “It was blowing.”

He has been brought up in Texas and well, for him, it was a pretty natural thing. At the post-round presser, he was asked, “Did growing up in Texas give you an advantage?” To this, the World No. 1 replied, “I definitely have the experience in it. We play in a lot of wind a the home. One of the things, especially in Texas, is the day-to-day change. You don’t ever really know what it’s golf course to be like sometimes, especially this time of year. Yeah, like this morning when you walked out of the house and it was a lot colder than I anticipated it was going to be, and I had to go back inside and grab a few extra layers and then come back out.”

Things might be easy for Scheffler, but it surely was not for most of the players. Only fourteen players made an even-par score, and well, it might be difficult to keep up with the cut if things continue in the same direction.

Will the Friday weather remain the same?

Friday is going to be a lot easier on the players. According to the AccuWeather forecast, the day is predicted to be “Pleasant and warmer with some clouds, then sunshine; quiet weather for the golf tournament”. The temperature will go as high as 26 degrees, and as low as 10 degrees at night. The wind will be blowing from SE at a speed of 9km/h, and wind gusts will be interrupted at a reduced speed of 19 km/h. This will be a lot easier than the opening round to tackle. Even the cloud cover will be 28%, which will make it easier for them to navigate.

However, things will once again take an ugly turn through the weekend. The penultimate round has wind gusts blowing in at the speed of 26 km/h, and a 3% chance of precipitation. If you think this will be difficult, just wait for the Sunday round’s forecast. It predicts a whopping 55% chance of rain, 3and 3% of thunderstorms, and that’s not all. The wind gusts will be blowing in at a speed of 57km/h. Will the players be able to battle through such conditions? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to find out.