Shane Lowry has his best finish of 2024 as Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Bay Hill Golf Club was the venue for 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Bay Hill is a par 72 which includes four par fives. This was the fourth Signature Event of 2024 with a prize fund of $20,000,000. 69 players participated in this year’s event with 11 players missing the halfway cut on +4.
Joint leaders Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler played in the final group. Scheffler and Lowry both started the final round on -9. A two shot swing at the first hole with Scheffler reaching -10 and a bogey for Lowry. Scheffler played his front nine in 34 shots to reach -11. Lowry made his first birdie of day four at nine as he trailed Scheffler by four shots heading to 10th tee.
Wyndham Clark played in the second last group with Will Zalatoris. Clark started the final round on -8 and remained on that score after nine due to shooting 36. Scheffler stretched his lead to five shots as he reached -14 after 15 holes. 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner put one hand on the trophy as he advanced to -15 after a birdie at 16. It was a race for second between Lowry and Clark as both were on -9 after 16. Clark held a fantastic birdie putt at 18 to finish second on -10 and earned $2.2 million. Lowry finished on -9 after shooting a final round of 72.
Lowry finished third and earned $1.4 million. Lowry is in great form heading to next week’s Players Championship after two top five finishes in a row. Scheffler strolled to victory as a closing par was good enough to win by five shots. A relentless performance by Scheffler which included been the best putter on day four. Scheffler earned $4 million for winning his second Arnold Palmer Invitational and will be tough to beat at next week’s Players Championship especially with been defending champion.
Zalatoris made two birdies on the back nine to finish -7. Zalatoris earned $920,000 and booked a spot for 2024 The Open at Royal Troon. Russell Henley finished tied fourth with Zalatoris on -7. Sahith Theegala and Brendan Todd finish tied sixth on five under. Andrew Putnam, Max Homa, Emiliano Grill and Byeong-hun An all made up the top 10 tied eight on -4.
Justin Thomas advanced to -7 after eight holes but played 11 holes in +3 to finish tied 12th on -3. Hideki Matsuyama started day four on -7 but shot a poor round of 76 to finish tied 12th on -3. Rory McIlroy was within four shots of the lead starting his final round. McIlroy only hit three greens as he played 11 holes in +7. McIlroy made three birdies in six holes to shoot a +4 round of 76 and finish tied 21st on -1. McIlroy will have an opportunity at The Players Championship and Valero Texas Open to get his game in shape for Augusta.
Seamus Power finished tied 21st on -1. At DP World Tour’s Johnson Workwear Open Tom McKibbin started day four on -16. McKibbin finished tied ninth on -19 as Matteo Manassero won his first event in 11 years. Padraig Harrington shot a final round of 65 to finish -8 and inside the top 15 at Champions Tour Cologuard Classic. Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow finished eight on -11 at Blue Bay LPGA.