Scheffler, McIlroy and Henley headline tense opening rounds at Bay Hill
The PGA TOUR’s biggest names return to action this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the third Signature Event of the season.
The tournament takes place at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, where defending champion Russell Henley arrives aiming to repeat last year’s dramatic success. Henley captured the title after chipping in for eagle on the 16th hole, sealing a memorable victory. This time, he faces a field stacked with elite challengers determined to stop him.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the contenders. A two-time winner at Bay Hill in the past four years, Scheffler finished T11 here last season. He opened his current campaign with a win at The American Express but has since failed to break par in the first round at recent events and saw his streak of top-10 finishes end at The Genesis Invitational. Even so, his lowest finish during that stretch was T12.
Henley, by contrast, comes into the week after missing the cut at The Genesis following an opening-round 76. He will attempt to rediscover the sharpness that delivered him the trophy in Orlando last year.
Rory McIlroy also returns to a venue that has consistently suited his game. Since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2018, he has finished outside the top 15 only once. He arrives off the back of a T2 finish at The Genesis, where he lost by one shot.
Viktor Hovland joins McIlroy in one of the notable pairings for the opening rounds. Hovland’s best finish at Bay Hill is a T2 in 2022, although he missed the cut here last year. His most recent victory came at the 2025 Valspar Championship, and he will aim to build on that success during the Florida swing.
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Another featured grouping brings together Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry. Schauffele missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open by one stroke, ending his streak of 72 consecutive cuts made. However, he responded with a T7 finish at The Genesis Invitational in his most recent start.
Lowry arrives seeking a response of his own. At the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, he held a three-shot lead entering PGA National’s Bear Trap but carded back-to-back double bogeys and finished T2. “I have a tee time next Thursday in Bay Hill,” Lowry said. “I have no choice but to move on.”
Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas form another compelling pairing. Matsuyama opened his season strongly with four top-15 finishes, including a playoff appearance at the Sony Open in Hawaii, driven largely by the strength of his approach play. Questions remain over whether he can resolve struggles with his driver.
Thomas makes his TOUR debut this season after undergoing microdiscectomy surgery in November 2025. The 16-time TOUR winner recently helped Atlanta Drive clinch victory at TGL in his return to competition. He acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting it has been nearly five or six months since he last played a competitive tournament. Thomas’ best finish at Bay Hill was a T4 in 2024.
Specific tee times will be released on Tuesday. Coverage across the first two rounds will feature on PGA TOUR LIVE and Golf Channel.
Television coverage runs Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Golf Channel. Over the weekend, Golf Channel airs from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., with NBC and Peacock taking coverage from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ provides streaming coverage from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
As the opening rounds approach, Bay Hill once again becomes the stage for a gathering of the sport’s most recognisable names, each chasing control of one of the season’s most prestigious titles.