Arnold Palmer Invitational: Updated timings for the second round after the start was delayed due to fog
The 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational wrapped up its initial round without a hitch on March 7. However, the commencement of the second round faced a delay today, March 8, as foggy weather conditions impacted play at Bay Hill Golf Club in Florida.
The second round was originally scheduled to take place at 7:45 AM ET with David Ford and Webb Simpson teeing off first. However, the round is now expected to begin at 8 AM EST. PGA Tour Communications took to X and shared:
“The start of the second round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard is delayed 15 minutes due to fog and is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET.”
It's worth mentioning that this isn't the first instance of a PGA Tour event in Florida experiencing a delay this year. Just last week, inclement weather pushed back the final round of the Cognizant classic at the Palm Beach.
Moreover, several PGA Tour events this year have been disrupted by weather conditions, leading to delays spanning at most a day, including the WM Phoenix Open and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
How did the Arnold Palmer Invitational’s event first round progress?
The first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational ended with Shane Lowry taking the lead. The Irish professional golfer made his first birdie on hole 2 and thereafter didn’t secure any birdie or bogey on the front nine.
However, the back nine saw him earn four birdies, one stunning eagle, and a bogey. This made Lowry finish his round at 66 under par as he was on the top of the leaderboard. Discussing about his finish, Shane Lowry said (via The Irish Times):
“It’s horrific. I played here six times, I missed the cut five times. Last year, I made the cut and shot 81 on Saturday. Going out there with very low expectations today. I knew I was playing well. Golf’s a funny game. Just had it under control today.”
He added:
“It’s funny, when you’re out there playing and you get on a run like that, it does feel pretty easy.”
Just one stroke behind him are Justin Lower and Hideki Matsuyama on the leaderboard. They both ended their round at 67 under par. While Lower earned seven birdies and two bogeys on day one, Matsuyama ended the round with five birdies, two bogeys, and an eagle.