As the arnold palmer invitational leaderboard takes shape early on March 6 (ET), Round 2 tee times at Bay Hill in Orlando set up a pivotal day for a limited field and a demanding course setup that has produced scoring averages above par for nine straight years.
What Happens When Arnold Palmer Invitational Leaderboard pressure meets Bay Hill’s scoring test?
Bay Hill Club & Lodge has been a consistent separator. The course has yielded a scoring average above par for nine years running, including 72. 577 in 2025, a notable marker for a par 72 venue in today’s pro game. For 2026, the event is positioned as the third Signature Event of the season and is played by a field of 72, with a cut set for the low 50 and ties.
The setup details explain why movement on the arnold palmer invitational leaderboard can be abrupt from one session to the next. The Bermudagrass greens average 7, 500 square feet, are non-overseeded and undulating, and are groomed to 13½ feet on the Stimpmeter. That combination tends to suppress scoring chances and tightens the margin for error on approach, especially when players miss fairways into overseeded rough managed to 4 inches this year.
Even with the course capable of stretching to 7, 466 yards, Bay Hill has landed in the 15th-to-25th percentile for longest averages in distance of all drives among measured courses, a reflection of how “stingy fairways” can influence strategy. The tactical challenge, as framed by the PGA TOUR’s course preview, is to build a plan from the green back to the tee—prioritizing angles and distances that create realistic chances to break par.
What If the key inflection point is simply the tee sheet on Friday?
Round 2 begins Friday morning, March 6 (ET). The schedule creates clear viewing windows for fans tracking early and late waves: coverage runs from 2–6 p. m. ET on Golf Channel, while PGA Tour Live on + begins at 7: 30 a. m. ET with featured group and featured hole coverage available throughout the day.
One of the most watched pairings is in the afternoon. Scottie Scheffler begins his second round at 1: 30 p. m. ET alongside Russell Henley. Scheffler arrived at Bay Hill with a strong season profile: he already has a season-debut win, plus two additional top-4 finishes, and his worst result is a T12. In his pre-tournament press conference, he addressed slow starts this season by noting that in four starts, he has really only had three bad rounds. On Thursday, he started his opening round with two birdies over his first four holes as he pursued a third-career Arnold Palmer Invitational victory.
Other notable Round 2 tee times on March 6 (ET) include:
7: 40 a. m. Nicolai Højgaard, Austin Smotherman
7: 50 a. m. Si Woo Kim, Bud Cauley
8: 40 a. m. Jordan Spieth, Sam Stevens
9: 35 a. m. Ben Griffin, Tommy Fleetwood
10: 05 a. m. Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama
10: 20 a. m. Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland
12: 35 p. m. Harris English, Patrick Cantlay
1: 10 p. m. Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose
1: 20 p. m. Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry
1: 30 p. m. Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley
1: 40 p. m. Aldrich Potgieter, Adam Scott
What If weather and course management define who climbs and who slides?
The course preview signals conditions that can change how Bay Hill plays across the day. Unseasonably warm air is expected, with daytime highs in the mid-80s throughout early March, plus a daily afternoon threat of rain. Winds could freshen with that pattern, though nothing too serious is forecast. In practice, that mix can place a premium on decision-making: staying out of the 4-inch rough, managing speed on fast greens, and accepting that a conservative plan can still produce separation as others chase.
The event’s broader season context also matters. The PGA TOUR season has already produced a two-time winner in Chris Gotterup, a breakthrough champion in Jacob Bridgeman, and a Tiger Woods scoring record from the 20th century being broken by Justin Rose. At the same time, none of the 11 courses played has averaged over par—making Bay Hill’s long-running above-par profile a distinct change of texture and a natural inflection point for the week’s competition.
For readers, Friday’s storyline is straightforward: the tee sheet is set, the course has a history of resisting low scoring, and the afternoon window features Scheffler as he tries to position himself for another Bay Hill run. By the end of play March 6 (ET), the tournament’s cut line and the path into the weekend should bring sharper definition to the arnold palmer invitational leaderboard.
