Berger Leads Arnold Palmer Invitational with 5-Shot Advantage

Berger's hot round puts him on top at Bay Hill 

American golfer Daniel Berger tops the leaderboard at Bay Hill with 13-under par. Berger shoots 68 to lead the Arnold Palmer Invitational, chasing his first PGA Tour win in five years...

“I really felt like that kept any momentum that I had for the round going. I played the last 10 holes really, really well...” 

Daniel Berger is dominating at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, holding a 5-shot lead after Friday's round. He's currently at 13-under par, thanks to his impressive 68 at Bay Hill. Berger's been playing smart, focusing on lag putting and respecting the course's challenging greens.

The 32-year-old American is chasing his first PGA Tour win in half a decade, and he's got a great shot at it. His strategy's paying off - he's amassed 14 birdies through two rounds and has gone a combined 22-under par over his last five rounds at Bay Hill.

Despite having sunk nine birdies a day earlier, Berger said he had played even better on Friday, as "the course was a little tougher.”

Berger started strong, sinking a 24-footer from the fringe for birdie on the first hole. He's been playing with confidence, and it shows. 

“The green speeds are up there. The pin positions are tough,” he said.

“It's just one of those courses. It's treacherous,” Berger added.

Berger dropped a shot at the seventh, bogeying the par-three after a bunker visit, but he bounced back with three birdies on the back nine. The Floridian's been playing solid golf, and it's paying off.

After overcoming injuries, Berger's started 2026 strong, finishing sixth at the Sony Open in January. He's looking to keep the momentum going at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Berger's comeback story is something else. He missed three months last fall after breaking his ring finger, and that's on top of a rough 10-month absence in 2022-23 due to back issues. He's been working hard to regain consistency, and it looks like it's paying off. 

Akshay Bhatia's hot round puts him in second place - he shot a 66 with seven birdies, including a slick 36-foot chip-in on eight. 

“I'm just going to keep plodding along... (Berger) could run away with it and I could be playing for second or it could be a little bit of a challenge,” he said.

“There's a lot of guys within six shots of the lead, which is not much around Bay Hill.”

Stars Trailing Behind

Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, and Sahith Theegala were among those a shot back on seven under par, with Theegala shooting a solid 67. 

Theegala's round was solid, with five birdies, including a bunker shot on 10 and a 14-footer on 16. He breathed a sigh of relief with a clutch 10-footer for par on the last hole, keeping his round bogey-free.

“It was a great round, to go around this place with no bogeys. That putt on the last for sure meant a lot,” he said.

Theegala predicted conditions would become even tougher, with the greens expected to get firmer still over a hot weekend.

“Part of the reason why I love this place is just, it's straight carnage... these first few days were probably as good as scoring gets out here,” he said.

Rory McIlroy's bounced back strong, shooting 68 after a shaky start. He's “very pleased” with his round, which included five birdies and a bogey on the tricky eighth.

If ain't broke, don't fix it.

Daniel Berger's mesmerizing swing has him leading @APInv by FIVE. pic.twitter.com/vyVqaKq25Y

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 7, 2026

The defending Masters champ's got his eyes on next month's tournament. 

“I really felt like that kept any momentum that I had for the round going. I played the last 10 holes really, really well,” he said.

Scottie Scheffler's day ended on a sour note, bogeying the 18th to drop to three under par, tying for 15th.