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Imago

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Imago

Moving Day at Bay Hill turned into a waiting game—all thanks to the poor weather. Round 3 was suspended at 2:53 p.m. because a heavy rain cell moved directly over the Bay Hill at 2:53 p.m. ET. Nearly a quarter inch of rain hit the back nine in roughly 15 minutes, leaving the greens unplayable. Play eventually resumed, but at what cost?

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The competition resumed at 3:59 p.m. local time, but the lost hours were unrecoverable. The round was suspended again at 6:30 p.m. due to darkness and will now resume Sunday at 8 a.m. local time, meaning several players, including Rickie Fowler, Ludvig Aberg, and Sahith Theegala, will complete their unfinished third round before teeing off for the final round.

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Before the delay hit at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it was already an event with plenty going on. Saturday morning brought an early jolt when Rory McIlroy withdrew because of a gym injury in his back. This is only the second time in his PGA Tour career that he has withdrawn. With the field already trimmed to 60 players after a 36-hole cut sent 20 home on Friday, the weather drama only added more chaos to an already unsettled week.

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And Rory McIlroy’s withdrawal wasn’t the only big-name story from the earlier part of the week. Several big names, including Justin Thomas, who shot 79-79, finished dead last and missed the cutline. JT felt like he was humiliated out there.

And the leaderboard has been an intriguing story in itself.

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The Rickie Fowler & co. Leaderboard Chaos at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Through the rain and delays, Daniel Berger has been the most composed player at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He leads at 13-under after 15 holes of Round 3, having carded a 63 and 68 in his first two rounds.

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Akshay Bhatia sits second at 11-under through 16 holes. Sepp Straka, Cameron Young, and Collin Morikawa are bunched together at 9-under, all having completed their third rounds. Rickie Fowler, tied for ninth at 6-under, shot rounds of 69-69-72 across three days and still has holes left to play.

Then there is Scottie Scheffler. He has quietly become one of the more puzzling stories of the week. The #1 finished round 3 at 3-under overall, sitting tied for 20th, a full 10 shots off Berger’s lead. Through three rounds, he has gone 70-71-72, trending in the wrong direction with everything on the line.

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The focus now shifts to Sunday morning, when the unfinished third round resumes at 8 a.m., followed by a fourth round. Players like Fowler, Theegala, and Ludvig Aberg will need to close out their rounds quickly before the final day begins. With Berger holding a two-shot cushion and the $4 million check still very much up for grabs, Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational promises to be a long but compelling finish.

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