Graeme McDowell was heading home and a private practice session at Lake Nona after scrambling his way to a level par 72 on the opening day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
McDowell did the late, great Seve Ballesteros proud after finding some seven bunkers, hitting just over half of the greens in regulation and taking 29 putts in a similar start to a year ago on the Bay Hill course.
Graeme McDowell does Seve proud in scrambling his way to a steady level par 72 on day one at Bay Hill. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
It left the current World No. 15 trailing seven strokes behind fellow Lake Nona resident and clubhouse leader, Justin Rose who upstaged playing partner, Tiger Woods by four strokes with a blistering seven under par 65.
Rose’s score, including just 21 putts, was easily his lowest in 31 rounds of the course as he looks to end a 54-week PGA Tour winless drought since capturing last year’s WGC – Cadillac Championship and the event Woods won a fortnight ago.
McDowell’s round was a mix of just one birdie, when he two-putted from 40-feet at his seventh hole, and a 16th hole bogey where he found a greenside bunker and took two shots to get up-and-down.
“It was really tough out there early on and I don’t remember hitting so many long clubs early on, and the course was playing just long and tricky,” he said.
“I had to scramble pretty hard over my front nine and even though I managed to get my only birdie on that nine it looked as though I couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo.
“Then on my second nine I actually hit the ball a lot better but just couldn’t get the ball in the hole.
“So it was two contrasting nines and overall I’m quite pleased with level par.
“I thought anything in the red today was a good effort but then Justin must have found a sweet spot out there and he really got it going because I can’t tell you how good seven under par is.
”But I’m going to head back home to rest a little bit and then I will go over to Lake Nona and get some rhythm back in my swing and get ready for a big day tomorrow.”
