ORLANDO, Fla. — Adam Scott must have wondered why it took him five years to return to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

This wasn’t the Bay Hill anyone remembered. The sky was bright blue with warm sunshine. Wind was only a rumor. And the biggest difference was seeing a 10-under 62 next to Scott’s name before half the field had even hit a shot.

Scott made five putts from about 20 feet or longer, two of them for eagle and one of them from off the green for birdie. Even with a bogey in the middle of his round, his 62 was the lowest at Bay Hill in 30 years. Greg Norman had a 62 in 1984, and Andy Bean shot 62 in 1981.

The result was a three-shot lead over Ryo Ishikawa and John Merrick, both of whom were 10 shots behind before they teed off.

“That took the pressure off,” Merrick said. “You’re already 10 shots behind, so it’s not like you’re protecting anything. But this isn’t the Bay Hill I remember. I don’t usually play golf in Florida without 20 mph wind.”