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2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational Day 1: Rahm Roars to First-Round Lead

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Jon Rahm takes a practice swing during the first day of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando Thursday, March 2, 2023. Photo: Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News.
Jon Rahm takes a practice swing during the first day of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando Thursday, March 2, 2023. Photo: Harry Castiblanco/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jon Rahm just proved once again why he is the hottest golfer on the planet. The World No. 1 surged to the finish on Thursday with a late eagle and birdie binge that rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard following the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

The FedExCup points leader and winner of three of his last five PGA TOUR events started strong with birdies on each of his first three holes at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. And his finish was even better as he played the final three holes in four under par, resulting in a first-round 65. He will take a two-stroke lead over Chris Kirk, Cameron Young and Kurt Kitayama into Friday’s second round.

Defending champion and World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler shot 68, putting him in a tie for fifth with World No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, World No. 6 Xander Schauffele and five other players.

“I had a lot of good looks for birdie – I played really good golf today and I took advantage of the three or four missed opportunities, missed fairways and greens really, really well,” Rahm said.

Rahm has finished top 10 in all six official PGA TOUR events he has played during the 2022-23 season, including victories at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express and the Genesis Invitational. Thursday, he lurked near the top of the leaderboard before draining a 24-foot eagle putt on 16, hitting his tee shot on the par-3 17th inside three feet for an easy birdie and knocking his approach shot on 18 within six feet, which he converted for another birdie to secure the low round of the day.

“I think the only difference between some of my rounds last year and this one was just putting, Rahm said. “I don’t think in four days I made a single putt out here last year. And I made my fair share today. I’ve been putting a lot better this year. But from good putting to bad putting is the smallest difference imaginable. Especially on these greens. These greens can get difficult very quick.”

Rahm tees in Friday’s second round at 7:38 a.m., grouped with Schauffele and World No. 10 Collin Morikawa off the 10th tee.

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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Celebrity

LPGA Pros Shutout Celebs at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions “Break The Glass” Challenge

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Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (Florida National News) – Some big names in sports, entertainment, and music can be found with golf clubs in hand at The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, this weekend. About 50 celebrities will compete for a $500,000 purse, while LPGA Tour players try to grab their share of $2 million in prize money.

Today, LPGA pros Megan Khang, Alexa Pano, and Bailey Tardy took on celebrities Landon Donovan, Major League Soccer legend, Michael Peña, award-winning actor, and Kira Dixon, Reporter and Miss America 2015 in the annual “Break The Glass” challenge. The LPGA pros shutout the celebs 3-0. You can watch the action here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFYsQKbyiAi/?igsh=YzZlNG9rNXhvbnRy. (And be sure to follow Florida National News on Instagram and Facebook.)

Lydia Ko returns to defend her title, after adding an Olympic gold medal and membership in the LPGA Hall of Fame to her resume since last year’s tournament. Actors Don Cheadle and Larry The Cable Guy, NBA stars Blake Griffin and Ray Allen, and Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Charles Woodson are just some of the celebs hitting the links Thursday, 1/30 through Sunday, 2/2. Tickets and more information are available online at http://www.HGVLPGA.com.

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Golf

The ANNIKA Golf Tournament Welcomes WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark

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Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

BELLEAIR, Fla. (FNN) – The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair tees off Wednesday, 11/13 with a Pro-Am featuring WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday, as the LPGA golfers compete for their share of a $3.25 million purse, while also trying to secure their spot in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It’s the fifth year of competition for this tournament, named after Annika Sorenstam, who is one of just two players to currently have a tournament named after her on the PGA Tour. Proceeds from this tournament benefit the ANNIKA Foundation, which aims to develop, empower, and advance young women around the world through golf and in life.

The ANNIKA Award (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The field of 120 includes Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Lydia Ko, Brittany Lincicome, and many more top golfers. Annika Sorenstam will particpate in the Pro-Am, but the appearance of Caitlin Clark has certainly boosted ticket sales, and helped to sell out tickets for the Women’s Leadership Summit, where Clark spoke Tuesday.

Back-to-back hurricanes knocked down 40 trees and left twenty inches of rain on the fairways and greens for days. But the course is ready for this weekend’s tournament.

If you’d like to check out the tournament, visit www.theannika.com for tickets and additional information. Be sure to follow www.FloridaSportsChannel.com and www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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