Cabrera Bello wins Scottish Open in playoff

Not everyone celebrates anniversaries, and not all anniversaries are worth celebrating, but the first anniversary always serves as an exercise in perspective. The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard was the last tournament completed before the pandemic that forced a three-month shutdown in 2020. Given everything that has happened and what we know now, that the hiatus lasted only three months is a remarkable achievement. The collaboration with local communities has been paramount in sustaining a safe and competitive environment. Yet, a break from how Bay Hill Club and Lodge tested last year presented an opportunity for a different kind of recovery. Scroll past the projected contenders for details of how extreme it played and why, what the limited field can expect this week and more. RELATED: The First Look | Inside the Field POWER RANKINGS: ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL The Fantasy Insider will be delayed until Wednesday. Notables reviewed will include Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama. Despite the circumstances that triggered the shutdown of 2020, those who attempted to tame Bay Hill needed a minute to lick their wounds. The stock par 72 averaged 74.106 for the week, and that included splits of 75.913 and 75.058 in the third and final rounds, respectively. It was the highest scoring average in relation to par on a par 72 in a non-major in the last four completed seasons. It also was the highest that Bay Hill averaged since it scored 75.150 as a par 71 in 1983, the first year that data was recorded in earnest. Arnold Palmer's primary objective was to have fun, but that was the furthest thing from it. Persistent gusty winds north of 20 mph throughout pummeled the field. It averaged just 9.1 greens in regulation per round, lowest of any non-major in 15 years. That seems like a misprint given that greens average a roomy 7,500 square feet, but they also run up to 13-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter with penalizing undulations, so precision on approach is at a premium. With nowhere to hide to swallow the pride, it's no wonder that Tyrrell Hatton's 4-under 284 was the highest winning aggregate in tournament history. He ranked outside the top 30 in both distance of all drives and fairways hit, but that's fine when the wind is a factor. The Englishman managed the rest of his game exquisitely, slotting T9 in GIR (10.5 per round), 10th in proximity, 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting and second in bogey avoidance. He also co-led the field in par-3 scoring and played the par 5s in 4.63 to rank T17. With that recap scaring everyone straight, a pivot to this week's forecast is relevant. After a relatively benign first two days with high temperatures in the mid-70s, things will turn for the worse after the 36-hole cut falls. There's a very good chance of rain on Saturday. With the threat, winds will freshen considerably and stick around for Sunday's finale when the sun returns. It might not reach 70 degrees on the weekend. The only notable modification since Hatton's victory was made on the tee at the par-4 13th hole. It's been expanded to allow for another 12 yards and can now extend to 382 yards. The entirety of that increase equals the overall bump in Bay Hill's overall length to 7,466, longest in tournament history. Wayward drives may find rough at three-and-a-half inches and longer. That helps explain why disrespecting the value of course management off the tee can lead to a bad day. As usual, the TifEagle bermuda greens have not been overseeded for the competition. The perks for winning mirror what Max Homa earned as the champion of The Genesis Invitational: 550 FedExCup points and three-year PGA TOUR membership exemption (or additional season if already exempt through 2023-24 or 2024-25). He also receives a three-year exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship. The field stands at 123 as of Monday afternoon. Former winners Robert Gamez (1990), Paul Goydos (1996) and Tim Herron (1999) are add-ons as champions pre-2000. If any withdraws before his opening round, he will not be replaced. ROB BOLTON'S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers WEDNESDAY: Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Watch * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Davis Riley made three birdies from tough spots to close out the front nine and then kept right on rolling Saturday until he had a 9-under 62, a tournament scoring record and a two-shot lead in the Valspar Championship. RELATED: Leaderboard | Wesley Bryan needs ‘special’ Sunday at Valspar Championship And just like that, a Masters invitation is in view for Riley, a 25-year-old PGA TOUR rookie. He played before the largest gallery at steamy Innisbrook, most of them there to watch the other Alabama alum in the pairing. Justin Thomas did his part with a third consecutive 66, which any other year would have set a tournament record. Riley stole the show with a creative chip-and-run from out of the rough and under a tree, and with a 70-foot bunker shot that clanged into the cup on the fly at No. 9. Those were two of his nine birdies on the Copperhead course — he had only 20 putts for the round — that helped him turn a five-shot deficit into a two-shot lead. “It’s always fun when you get to play with a good buddy and Justin obviously is one of the best players in the world,” Riley said. “There was definitely a level of comfort there for that.” Riley was at 18-under 195, breaking by four the tournament record last set a year ago by Sam Burns, who remains very much in the mix to win back-to-back. Matthew NeSmith, who set the 36-hole record and led by four shots when he made the turn, made his first bogey of the week at No. 10 and dropped three more shots. He sprinkled in enough birdies and a solid par save on the 18th for a 69. Riley and NeSmith will be in the final group Sunday. Thomas and Burns (67) were three shots behind and have the experience of winning. Adam Hadwin, who won at Innisbrook five years ago for his only PGA TOUR title, shot 70 and was five shots behind. NeSmith had reason to wonder what happened. He did everything right, with birdies on the par 5s, at 15-foot birdie putt on No. 7 and an 8-foot birdie on the ninth to reach 18 under. But he began showing a few cracks in his iron game, going into a bunker on the 10th, long on a pair of the par 3s and hitting a poor chip that led to bogey on the 16th. Even so, he was right there with a chance to win for the first time and earn a trip to the Masters, where his dad used to work as a part-time caddie. “This is what I’ve dreamed of as a little kid, coming out here and playing in the final group,” NeSmith said. “On the PGA TOUR the final group is the coolest thing in the world, and to have that opportunity and to play well was great. And I just tried to enjoy the walk. It’s hard. It’s obviously very hard. But I did a good job. “The goal was to finish 18 holes and enjoy the walk and we did both of those things today, so I’m pretty happy.” Thomas has gone more than a year since his last victory, at THE PLAYERS Championship, and stayed in the hunt amid the Riley show. He made a tough par save to close out the front nine and matched Riley with a 31 on the back nine to remain three behind. Even Thomas got caught up in Riley’s performance. “It was really impressive,” Thomas said. “It’s a big moment for a rookie — anybody — and he handled it like a rock star and made 9 under look very, very easy barring a crazy chip-in there on 9.” The Copperhead course played slightly tougher with the strongest breeze of the week on the tree-lined property. Even three days of sunshine couldn’t make the greens too firm, and players still took aim and scored low. The average score was 69.7. Xander Schauffele had a 68 and was in the large group at 11-under 202.

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