Seeking his first Tour win in five years, Daniel Berger jumped out to a substantial first-round lead at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.
Berger, who lives in Jupiter, made the most of his early start time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational by shooting a 9-under 63. He’s the clubhouse leader with every player in the signature event field now off the first tee.
“I get to drive my own car up here, slept in my own bed last week,” Berger told reporters after his first 18 holes. “This is a place I played many times. There’s many years in the past where I’ve skipped a couple of those West Coast swing events, and this year being in the elevated events you don’t have that opportunity. So yeah, it’s just nice to be in Florida. I love it.”
Berger currently leads Collin Morikawa, who sits in a solo second after going 6 under through the first 18 holes.
Both sit in the clubhouse waiting to see if anyone can break those two low scores. Cameron Young and Jhonattan Vegas are also in the clubhouse at 5-under 67, tied for third.
“It’s going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging week. You can already see the course is,” Berger said. “The greens are like white. So a little bit of wind, a little bit less moisture, and it’s just going to be like a U.S. Open. I think when you come to Bay Hill to play this event you know what you’re getting, and so it doesn’t shock me. You’re ready for it.”
Last week’s Cognizant Classic champ, Nico Echavarria looked poised to challenge Berger’s 63, recording six birdies on his front nine. That was short lived though, as Echavarria was undone by a pair of bogeys and a triple bogey to open his back nine.
That leaves everyone looking up at Berger. His 63 is the lowest round at Bay Hill since Adam Scott’s 62 a dozen years ago.
Berger’s first‑round 63 is one stroke shy of the tournament course record at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 5, 2026
Four players have recorded rounds of 62 in the history of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, most recently Adam Scott in 2014 (first round).
Since his last win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Berger has endured a litany of different injuries. Most recently, he broke his finger at last year’s BMW Championship and missed the entire fall.
“I took basically four months off,” Berger said about breaking his right ring finger. “When you come back you’re just kind of getting back into the flow of things and getting into your routine. And kind of, I’ve really played not really that poorly, and just haven’t had the results. So you just kind of keep doing the same things and good things will come. So that’s kind of where I feel like I’m at.”
For Berger, he felt something turn at the Cognizant at PGA National last week.
“Last week I played pretty well and just didn’t quite score the way I wanted to,” he added. “Really it’s just freeing it up and enjoying it. Coming out here and just doing what you love to do and not thinking about the results and just sticking to the process that you know works for yourself.”