For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Arnold Palmer Invitational saw Jon Rahm continue his dominant streak to forge ahead early at Bay Hill.

1. Rahm leads at Bay Hill

AP Report…”Jon Rahm started his round strong and ended it even better Thursday, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for a 7-under 65 and a 2-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

• Not even the brute test of Bay Hill was a match for golf’s hottest player.

• “Amazing round of golf,” he said. “I wish all of them were as enjoyable as this one.”

2. Szokol ahead at HSBC Womens

AP report…”Elizabeth Szokol shot an 8-under-64 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Women’s World Championship on Thursday.”

• “Yuka Saso of Japan was second after a bogey-free 67, and a pack of six, including Nelly Korda and former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, carded 68s at Sentosa Golf Club.”

• “Szokol shot 6 under on the front nine, including four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth. Her only bogey came on the 10th hole but she birdied 14, 16 and 18.”

3. Counterclaim complications

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…The PIF and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, have argued that they are nothing more than investors in LIV Golf, which filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour last year. Lawyers for the Tour claim the Fund and Al-Rumayyan are deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of LIV and, therefore, must submit to U.S. jurisdiction. A judge agreed with the Tour’s assessment and granted a motion to add PIF, which owns 93 percent of LIV Golf, and Al-Rumayyan as defendants in the counterclaim, making them both subject to discovery.

• Lawyers representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia argued in a brief filed Tuesday that PIF and Al-Rumayyan are immune from U.S. jurisdiction and that forcing a government official, like Al-Rumayyan, to be deposed violates Saudi law.

• According to the brief, Al-Rumayyan is one of six PIF board members who are also members of the Council of Ministers and subordinate only to the king. Lawyers for the Kingdom also pointed out that disclosure of council deliberations is a violation of Saudi law and punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine that could reach $266,000.

4. Rory’s Tiger-inspired driver switch

Our Andrew Tursky’s item for PGATour.com…”in his next start, at The Genesis Invitational, McIlroy made the rare mid-tournament equipment switch. After using the Stealth Plus driver in the opening round at The Riviera Country Club, McIlroy played the rest of week with a Stealth 2 Plus. He still had the Stealth 2 Plus in the bag when he arrived in Orlando, Florida, for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.”

• “Why did McIlroy make a mid-event audible with his driver at The Genesis?”

• “I was sick of Tiger outdriving me,” he said with a laugh in his Wednesday press conference from Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge.”

• “McIlroy leads the PGA TOUR in Driving Distance this season (328.7 yards) so it’s easy to think he was joking. But a closer look at the stats reveals a different story. McIlroy’s driving distance average at the Genesis Invitational was 305.0 yards, compared to Woods’ 306.3-yard average on the week.”

• “I played the (WM Phoenix Open) and noticed that my spin numbers on my driver were a little low,” McIlroy added Wednesday. “So then I went to L.A. and I put my driver up a click in loft. But I’m so particular about face angle when it comes to drivers that when I went up a click in loft, obviously I can see a little more face, it looks a little further left to me. And I didn’t hit one drive out of the middle of the face the first day at Riv. I needed to go and try something else.”

• “I feel like this Stealth 2 head for me has just got a little more spin on it, but at a more neutral or what I perceive to be a more neutral face angle. I think if other people saw it they would probably see that it sits slightly open, but to my eye it sits square. To me it was all about face angle. …I hit balls on Thursday night at Riv. Started middling that and started to get way more consistent spin numbers, sort of in the range that I like. Then I just went with it from there. Actually felt like I drove it pretty good for the final three days at Riv, and it’s been pretty good in practice over the past week.”

5. Player perspective on Designated Event changes

Evin Priest for Golf Digest…“Adam Scott says there has to be a “give and take” from players on the changes made by the PGA Tour.”

• “These are not overnight decisions made by the board,” Scott told Golf Digest on Wednesday at Bay Hill. “A lot of things are taken into consideration. There are a lot of positive steps being made on the PGA Tour. You’ve also got to look at the big picture, not just what happens next year. What’s best for the product for the next decade, as it moves beyond this TV contract and, and sponsorship period, and into the next one?”

• “…Kevin Chappell, a one-time PGA Tour winner in 271 starts who currently ranks 191st in the current FedEx Cup standings, tweeted, “The (carrot) sure has gotten bigger, but it seems to have been moved further away from the majority of those playing professional golf. I believe this could lead to shorter but more lucrative careers like tennis.”

• “Chappell, who has made $16.7 million on the PGA Tour, also tweeted, “If your LIV, it becomes easier recruit players. Look for players 51-70 on FedEx list to leave and go take the guarantee elsewhere.”

6. …and the scribes debate

Shane Ryan: “The more you learn about tour history, the more you learn about the push-and-pull between benefiting the best and most famous players (a “rich get richer” system) and having a very democratic, merit-based tour with plenty of opportunity for the rank-and-file (dirty, dirty socialism … to some). And, right now, that balance tipped to the better players because there is a really lucrative alternative for the world’s best golfers. So, no, there aren’t enough spots, but I also completely get why the tour is doing this and why it feels like it has to do this—it satisfies the elites while strengthening the fields of the non-designated events … and it does that while maintaining some drama for the guys trying to fight their way into the top level.”

• Stephen Hennesey: “I understand Max Homa’s and Patrick Cantlay’s points that the new changes don’t alter the schedule from 2023 for the players ranked outside the top 70, but the point they’re ignoring is that 2023 was already such a gigantic change from previous years. Now the rank-and-file players are being alienated even further. Kevin Chappell, a Presidents Cup player not too long ago, said on Twitter, “Look for players 51-70 on FedEx list to leave and go take the guarantee elsewhere. If you’re LIV it becomes easier to recruit players.” That, to me, sums up why this is not a good thing for the majority of PGA Tour players.”

7. Meanwhile, at this week’s Champions Tour stop…

8. Major champ playing Epson Tour opener

Beth Ann Nichols for Golfweek…”Brittany Lincicome was hoping to slide under the radar at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. But it’s hard for a two-time major winner to blend in at an Epson Tour event.”

• “Before Lincicome begins her 2023 season on the LPGA later this month in Arizona, the mother of two thought she’d try to regain some confidence at the season-opening event that’s about 90 minutes, without traffic, from her St. Petersburg home.”

• “It’s her first time playing on the official qualifying tour. The 37-year-old went straight to the LPGA from high school and was a rookie in 2005.”

9. Bay Hill photos

• Check out our galleries from Bay Hill this week!