African American Golfer’s Digest writer on the sport’s lack of diversity
African American Golfer’s Digest writer Hiram Sapp spoke to The Republic’s Dana Scott about the lack of Black pros on the PGA Tour and WM Phoenix Open.
We’ve been monitoring the cut line at the Arnold Palmer Invitational to see which PGA Tour golfers were in line to make or miss the cut.
Shane Lowry fell apart at the end of last week’s tournament, costing him a win at the Cognizant Classic. He struggled in Round 1 at Bay Hill, going 2 over par to find himself on the wrong end of the projected cut line to start today’s action. He again collapsed at the end, bogeying the 18th to finish just over the final cut line. Nico Echavarria, who walked away with the trophy last week, did just enough to remain on the course this weekend.
Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the World Golf Rankings, shot even par in the first round but rocketed up the leaderboard Friday. Jacob Bridgeman is fourth in FedEx Cup standings but needed a strong second round to play this weekend. Justin Thomas finished last in his first tournament since coming back from back surgery. Reigning U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Kirk were also among the players to watch in Round 2.
Watch Arnold Palmer Invitational live on Fubo
Here’s a look at who made and missed the cut at Bay Hill:
The final cut line at Bay Hill was 2 over par after swinging to 1 over throughout the day. Players with a score of +2 or better qualify for the weekend’s third and fourth rounds.
Brian Harman: +2Nico Echavarria: +2Lucas Glover: +2Taylor Pendrith: +2Shane Lowry: +3Ben Griffin: +3Haotong Li: +3J.J. Spaun: +3Joel Dahmen: +3Ryan Gerard: +3Tom Hoge: +3Brian Campbell: +3Patrick Cantlay: +4Jason Day: +4Sungjae Im: +4Sam Burns: +4Pierceson Coody: +5Keegan Bradley: +5Denny McCarthy: +5Justin Rose: +6Sam Stevens: +6Aldrich Potgieter: +11J.T. Poston: +12Justin Thomas: +14
Of the 72 golfers who entered the tournament, 50 are guaranteed to make the cut and play this weekend. That number can grow to account for ties, and players within 10 strokes of the lead also get to play the weekend.
This year, 52 players made the cut at 2 over par. Last year, 51 players made the cut at 4 over.
How to watch Arnold Palmer InvitationalFriday, March 6: Golf Channel (2-6 p.m.)Saturday, March 7: Golf Channel (12:30-2:30 p.m.) | NBC (2:30-6 p.m.)Sunday, March 8: Golf Channel (12:30-2:30 p.m.) | NBC (2:30-6 p.m.)Streaming: ESPN app (Select plan) | Fubo (free trial) | Peacock (Round 3-4)
Round 2 of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational broadcasts nationally on Golf Channel starting at 2 p.m. Rounds 3 and 4 will start on Golf Channel at 12:30 p.m. before switching to NBC at 2:30 March 7-8. Featured group and hole streaming from PGA Tour Live is available on the ESPN app with a subscription to the Select plan.