Daniel Berger surged to a three-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after an opening round of nine under par. The 32-year-old American, who has battled injuries including an 18-month layoff and a fractured finger last August, carded a 63 at Bay Hill with six birdies on the back nine. His round was one shot shy of the course record.

Berger's resurgence comes after years of injury struggles that sidelined him from competitive golf. "I think the biggest thing for me is just getting in a bit of a rhythm," he said, noting that while his play hasn't been poor, results had been elusive. His strong performance puts him at the top of a leaderboard that includes major champions and world-class talent.

Rory McIlroy struggled to a level-par round after costly mistakes on the 13th, 14th, and 18th holes. World number one Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose are tied at two under, while Ludvig Aaberg sits three shots back after a long eagle putt on 12. Collin Morikawa's 66 puts him a shot clear of Cameron Young and Jhonattan Vegas, setting up an intriguing second round.