Upshot Round 1Upshot Round 1
ORLANDO, Fla. — Notes and observations from Thursday’s opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where Emiliano Grillo leads took a three-shot lead after Thursday’s morning wave with a 5-under 67. For more Round 1 coverage, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. GRILLO, FITZPATRICK GET THINGS GOING EARLY The Bay Hill Club & Lodge was a place where Arnold Palmer could come to escape the winters in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Thursday morning’s weather seemed more fitting for his hometown, though. Temperatures were in the 40s when play began in the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since his passing in late September. Knit caps and mittens were common in the unseasonably cold weather. Even players with afternoon tee times wore long sleeves and pull-overs, as temperatures didn’t crack 70. The cold, as well as Bay Hill’s healthy rough, made low scores tough to come by Thursday. Grillo and Fitzpatrick shot 67; Grillo’s round came in the tougher morning conditions. “The first four holes were really difficult keeping warm,” Grillo, 24, said. “After that, it was a bit warmer, but if I had my hands out of my pockets for a minute or two I would be freezing.” Defending champion Jason Day, who shot 70 on Thursday morning, estimated that his approach shots were travelling 20 yards shorter because of the low temperatures. Grillo made bogey on two of the first four holes, but followed with seven birdies. He missed just three fairways and four greens, ranking fifth in strokes gained: off-the-tee and third in strokes gained: approach. Grillo, the 2016 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, ranks 64th in the FedExCup, with one top 10 (T10, OHL Classic at Mayakoba) in nine starts. He won his lone PGA TOUR title in his first start as a PGA TOUR member, at the 2015 Safeway Open. He also won the 2015 Web.com Tour Championship. Fitzpatrick, 22, was a member of last year’s European Ryder Cup team and is trying to earn his PGA TOUR card this season. He recently finished T16 in the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. He is No. 30 in the world ranking and a three-time winner on the European Tour. He also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur. SAUNDERS OVERCOMES EMOTIONS Palmer’s grandson, Sam Saunders, admitted that emotions hit him as he saw the cart parked alongside Bay Hill’s 16th tee. It was a tribute to Palmer, who Saunders affectionately referred to as “Dumpy,” and the way he would tour Bay Hill in a golf cart while his tournament was being played. “To see it sitting there empty, that was hard,” Saunders said. He shot 74 on Thursday while playing alongside Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker. Saunders made the turn in 2-under 34. His back nine included two shots into the water, as well as a near-ace at the par-3 17th. The ball bounced off the flagstick and ended up 11 feet from the hole. He missed the birdie putt, then hit his approach shot at No. 18 into the water. Players are typically announced on the first tee with their hometown, but Saunders asked to be announced as representing Bay Hill. “It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said. He credited his playing partners with helping him feel comfortable in one of the day’s premier pairings. Saunders, who has conditional status on the PGA TOUR, has played a large role in this week’s efforts to honor Palmer. He ranks 200th in this season’s FedExCup. “I’m here to compete, too, and I care a lot about that,” Saunders said. “I’m trying to put myself in a position where I could have a chance to win a golf tournament. Thankfully, the course is playing so difficult that with a good round tomorrow, I can get right back in this thing.” DAY DEFENDS Jason Day was the last winner at Bay Hill to be greeted by the tournament host behind the 18th green. It’s a memory he cherishes. Day’s defense got off to a good start with a 2-under 70 in Thursday morning’s cold. “Having the celebratory drink with him after the win last year, no one else gets to do that anymore and it’s unfortunate. It’s sad, but that is something that I’ll hold very, very special in my heart because I was the last guy to do it,” he said. Day, who was recently supplanted atop the Official World Golf Ranking by Dustin Johnson, is making just his fifth start of 2017 and first in a month after withdrawing from the WGC-Mexico Championship with the flu and ear infections. “I just don’t quite have enough confidence in my swing right now,” Day said. “I feel like my putting’s right there, but it’s still lacking. It’s kind of all the parts of my game right now are just behind a little bit.” GRIBBLE GONE GATOR Cody Gribble may be 10 shots off the lead, but he still made news Thursday. He tapped the tail of an alligator to scare it into a lake. The daring act was caught on video. Gribble, winner of this season’s Sanderson Farms Championship, said he wasn’t afraid of the alligator, which measured approximately 10 feet. It wasn’t the first time. “The gator looked like he needed some exercise,” Gribble said. “He was sitting right there, and I guess I was trying to get some adrenaline going somehow.” CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
