Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay hovering around Bay Hill cut line, defending champ well off pace

A weekend tee time is no guarantee for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard’s defending champion. Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler are among those hovering around the cut line heading into Friday, as well.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of three Signature Events that has implemented a new cut rule for 2024: The top 50 players and ties after the second round, plus any additional players within 10 strokes of the lead, will make the 36-hole cut. This week’s field at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge features 69 players.

Using the top-50 rule, the cut line would project at 1-over (T49) after Thursday’s first round in Central Florida. As things stand, though, the 10-shot rule would come into play; Shane Lowry leads at 6-under 66, meaning all players at 4-over 76 or better would project inside the cut line.

After the opening round at Bay Hill, just four players are projected outside the cut line: Nicolai Højgaard (77), Jake Knapp (77), defending champion Kurt Kitayama (78) and Adam Svensson (79).

Kitayama was derailed by a mid-round, six-hole stretch Thursday (Nos. 6-11) that featured five bogeys and a double bogey. The defending champ stood 8-over through 15 holes, but he rallied with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to better his odds of a weekend tee time at Bay Hill.

Others near the projected cut line include Cantlay (74), Matt Fitzpatrick (74), Rickie Fowler (75) and Sami Valimaki (76).

The Genesis Invitational and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday also utilize this new cut rule. Players who miss the cut at these three Signature Events will not receive FedExCup points or prize money.

The 2024 season’s other five Signature Events do not feature a cut line; all finishers are guaranteed points and prize money.