by Orlando, Florida – Shane Lowry likes the grind of a strong test and he manifests himself in Bay Hill. He had six birdies on Friday in slightly docile conditions for a 5-mine of 67, giving him a two-stroke advance before the weekend at Arnold Palmer Invitational.
It was not as cold as the day before. The wind was minimal. Bay Hill still had a bite, like Wyndham Clark, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele showed it at various times.
Lowry, playing alongside the good friend Rory McILroy, put on a 35 -foot Birdie putt on the 13th and closed with an 18 -foot blade to lead by two on Clark.
Corey Conners (70) and Collin Morikawa (68) were three strokes behind, followed by McILroy (70) and Jason Day, who found the longtime coach Colin Swatton and posted a 64 for the lowest score of the tournament.
“I think it’s my iron game is good and conservative when you have to be,” said Lowry, explaining why he benefits from a difficult test. “I just like the version of” pars are good “, you know? A lot of weeks ago where you get a peer level for nine holes and you feel like you are fighting your head against the wall. While weeks like this, peer level after nine years, you are well. You are a leak to have a nice day.
“I like the type of golf where you break 70, you feel like you have had a good day.”
Lowry was 8-mine of 136, the only player on the ground breaking 70 days.
Eighteen players stayed under peer for the weekend, and Scheffler was happy to be one of them. He had a difficult period on the nine before, in particular a three shots for double bogey on the second hole per-3 when he missed a 30-inch putt.
Scheffler, the reigning champion, was without Bogey on the nine rear, taking two putts for the Birdies on the 5S and finishing with a 15 -foot bland for a 72. He had seven behind.
Clark was sailing beautifully, going a shot when Lowry made a sweet bogey on the 16th par-5 by missing a putt per 4 feet. It didn’t last long. Clark struck his disc out of the limits on the 15th and had to make a 20 -foot putt to escape with Double Bogey.
“I don’t know if I never pushed a double bogey,” said Clark. “I was pissed off by the starting blow, and I knew it was important to keep the momentum. Everything is important. I do not pump up much, but for me, it was more like an internal thing like” let’s go! “And gave me a little momentum for the last three holes.”
Wyndham Clark has erased the breach of the rules related to the Pitch brand on the third Tour 2 hole in Bay Hill
Clarkâs tee shooting on the third hole was determined to rest in its own height brand and the relief was authorized.
Schauffele had double consecutive bogeys and responded with three birdies in the following four holes. He finished with a 71 and was 12 head shots, but the double major champion could claim a small victory By making its 58th consecutive cut Dating from masters 2022.
Justin Thomas took a double bunker bogey on the 14th par-3 which slowed down his momentum, although he recovered with two birdies on the last three holes for a 70. He was in the fire of group five behind who included the captain of the Ryder Cup Keegan Bradley (72).
Clark shared the 36 -hole advance at Bay Hill a year ago and finished second. Lowry shared with an advance of 54 holes with Scheffler and finished third. Last year, it was the first time that Lowry and Clark fought 70 in Bay Hill, so they seem to have understood something.
This does not guarantee much.
“It’s funny, when you are successful – especially in a difficult place like this – it does not mean that you come here next year and that you have the right given by God to go play well,” said Lowry. “You must always play your game and run. So I was aware. Even if the conditions of today were much easier than yesterday, this golf course always gives you nothing.
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“I suppose that when you start to see a few good shots here and you start to see some putts go there facilitates the task a bit.”
The real version arrived at the end of the day. The 36 -hole cut at the top 50 and the links were 4 out of 148, and a few players were just on the bubble. Lucas Glover was a blow under the line when he put on a 10 -foot stewed putt on the 16th and cut off from the Green to the 17th.
Max McGreevy was two strokes under the Cup line and responded with a Birdie putt 18 feet on the 15th, a two -strokes two and a putt by 18 feet on the 17th.
This leaves 51 players in the 72 men’s field, all hunting lowry.
Divots
The second year student of Auburn, Jackson Koivun, had 72 others to make the cup, giving him 19 points in the “accelerated” program of the PGA Tour University. He needs 20 to get a PGA Tour card. Koivun could win this last point by finishing in the top 10. … Max Homa did not recover from an opening of 81. He missed three consecutive cuts for the first time since June 2020.
