ORLANDO, Fla. — Golfers teed off Thursday in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

What You Need To Know

  • The Arnold Palmer Invitational began Thursday at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando

  • Golfers are playing for the $20 million purse and a red cardigan like the one Palmer used to wear

  • Wyndham Clark leads at 5-under 67 after the first round

  • Scottie Scheffler, who is four strokes back, is trying to win the tournament for the second year in a row

Golfers are playing for a purse of $20 million and a red cardigan made famous by the late Arnold Palmer.

Wyndham Clark leads the field at 5-under 67 after the first round.

The sun was out, but it was chilly and the wind was a factor for the field of 72 golfers.

Si Woo Kim, who is tied for 6th at 2-under 70 after the 1st round, tries to sink a putt on the 9th hole. (Spectrum Sports/Nick Allen)

Reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, who said Wednesday that he expected the course to be difficult, is tied for 11th at 1-under 71.

Scheffler's year got off to a slow start because he had to undergo hand surgery in December after an accident that injured his hand while making ravioli.

He returned to the tour in February and finished tied for third at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 16.

Scheffler has won twice at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, but he said that does not give him an edge and everybody starts at the same tee in Central Florida.

“I'm definitely excited for this week and excited to try to tackle this golf course again this year. It's typically one of the most brutal tests that we see all year," Scheffler said. "This one's funny because I feel like if you came here and played a month later, and the rough was shorter and the greens were soft, it would feel like a really easy golf course. But with the way that they set up for this tournament, it is so brutally difficult. There's such a drastic difference on this course from normal play and the way we play it. It's just an interesting place to play, and it challenges us in a variety of ways, for sure."

Scheffler is trying to make history. With a win this weekend, he would be the first golfer since Matt Every in 2015 to win the tournament in back-to-back years. Every played his high school golf in Volusia County.

Scottie Scheffler, pictured hitting from the 1st fairway during the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, is trying to win the tournament for the 2nd year in a row. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Only one golfer has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational more than two times, and that’s Tiger Woods, so a win also would put Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, in elite company.

After nine holes Thursday, Scheffler was tied for fourth at 1 under par, one shot behind the leaders.

The tournament continues through Sunday. Some tickets still are available.