The weather was near-perfect Friday at Bay Hill and huge crowds showed up for day two of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Here’s how things transpired during the second round action under sunny Orlando skies:
Henrik Stenson started his day with 12 straight pars before he went on a three-hole birdie run starting at the fifth. He played the back nine first, scrambled when he needed to but was simply a ball-striking machine. Those three birdies were good enough for a round of 69 and he’s 11-under, tied at the top.
Bryson DeChambeau played his best round of the season — six birdies, an eagle at the short par five 16th and a pair of bogeys translated into a 66. He’s tied with Stenson at the top and will play with Stenson for the first time on Saturday.
Tiger Woods struggled from his opening tee shot, a quick duck hook at the first hole that resulted in a bogey. Seven straight pars then a bogey at the ninth left him two-over at the turn. He fought back with birdies on the two back nine par fives but it was a tough day for El Tigre. He battled his way to an even-par 72 and remained four-under.
“Today was a hard fight,” he said afterward. “It was a grind. It wasn’t sharp but I hung in there and just kept grinding away and chipped away at the course. I didn’t hit the ball close. I didn’t hit the ball well.” Woods said he battled and kept himself in it, somewhat. He’s four-under, seven back and will need a lot round on moving day to get closer to the leaders.
Talor Gooch is in at nine-under, Ben An from the European Tour is in at eight while Charley Hoffman sits at seven-under.
Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed were two of five players five shots back at six-under.
After missing the Valspar cut, Rory McIlroy will play the weekend. He’s five-under par.
Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson and one of the tournament hosts, rallied big from his opening 77 and got it all the way back to even par after he shot five-under through 16 holes. But he finished with back-to-back bogeys on the eighth and ninth holes and that doomed him to miss the cut at two-over.
The 36-hole cut came at one-over par.
