by Orlando – Shane Lowry and Rory McILroy do a good team, McILroy generally playing the main role.
Friday at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Lowry seized the central scene of one of the largest stars of the PGA Tour, overshadowed his compatriot Emerald Isle Star and moved to the top of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Associated with McILroy, a teammate during his victory by Zurich Classic in 2024 and during the victory in Europe in 2023 Ryder Cup, Lowry posted a 67 under 5 under the total for a total of 86-136 through 36 holes and a two-stroke advance on the leader of the first round Wyndham Clark, who fired 71.
Playing in ideal score conditions and occurring before robust galleries, McILroy remained with a second 2-mine of 70 to sit 4-sous on weekends.
Meanwhile, Lowry benefited better from the configuration of the course and the energy of the crowd, culminating with a two-stroke swing on the 18th par-4 when he sliced at the Bogey of Mcilroy.
“You are there with one of the best golfers in the world, with large crowds, an excellent golf course, a good weather; It’s easy to get up for something like that, ”said Lowry. “I feel like I am prospering in these situations. I have the impression that we played a little. I know he probably has the impression that he could be better, but he is still in an excellent position in the weekend. »»
McILroy is likely to stay. The winner of Arnold Palmer Invitational 2018 has five dishes in the top 15 in six starts in Bay Hill since the victory.
Lowry will have complete hands stimulating the strongest field to date in 2025.
The second finalist of 2024, Clark continued his solid API game, although he would have liked to have a little more of his second round. After a day after winning more than six starting strokes to lead the ground, he failed to resume a stroke.
An wandering route on the 15th hole in 4 let him jostle and finally needed a 21-foot putt so that the double bogey remains at 1 sous for his day.
“I don’t know if I never pushed a double bogey,” said Clark.
Playing like the most difficult hole in the round, No. 15 also diverted the day of the Captain of the Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley. A double bogey 6 two holes after a bogey 5 to 13 dropped him with two shots with five in mind, and he never invented one day when low scores were available.
One day after the boastful conditions, the highest first round rating average (74.624) since 2011, the wind has sold and the temperature increased in the mid -1970s to present a ripe course to take the players on their P and Q. The average of the Tour 2 won a tick under peer at 71.961.
No one has benefited from the bending that Jason Day, who closed with a Birdie 3 on n ° 18 for an 8-mine of 64 years old, his lower turn among 41 outings of the Palmer event.
Day opened 66-65 to make a wire for API 2016 to reach the world n ° 1. Friday, he rebounded 76 open to match his career record with a swing of 12 strokes from one turn to another.
“You can be down,” he said. “But I am lucky to have a good team around me; A little visualization worked last night for about 30 minutes while trying to prepare for today. This attitude adjustment is crucial. »»
Day said he had taken a vague momentum with an Eagle 3 in the sixth hole by 6 to release the rest of the day. The 37 -year -old man will now have a good memory more and more distant from his victory at Bay Hill in the next two laps.
“It’s nice to be able to think about winning here, seeing reruns of my victory,” he said. “I was probably 10 to 15 pounds lighter, younger, I didn’t have as much gray. But I have experience, which is nice, so I can’t wait to spend the weekend.
“It’s a plus.”
The world n ° 3, Xander Schauffele has taken the best side of a difficult situation to reach the weekend for a 58th consecutive time. The almost three -year -old race dating from a failed cut at 2022 Masters is the longest sequence since the Tiger Woods 142 record from 1998 to 2005 – a standard that has improved the longtime brand of Byron Nelson from 113 and is unlikely to be broken.
Back from a two -month layoff with a rib injury, Schauffele could have posted it after the double bogeys consecutive to n ° 11 and 12, but he sorted three of the following four holes. He closed with a bogey for a 71-mes to finish at 4 out of 4 on the cutting line.
“I’m really trying not to stop,” said Schauffele. “Even today, he is double / double seated in a very beautiful place, it was an easy moment to be frustrated. I had to dig deeply. [Caddie] Austin [Kaiser] And I am proud of our cutting sequence, without a doubt. “”
Sitting a dozen shots, Schauffele should duplicate the feat of Joe Highsmith from Cognizant Classic from last week, where he cut the number and won.
Highsmith returned to earth in Bay Hill, where he missed the cup with a blow. Viktor Hovland (+5), Harris English (+6), Max Homa (+7), Billy Outcher (+9) and Tom Kim (+10) were among the winners of the PGA Tour to join him.
Meanwhile, seven main champions – including Lowry, Clark, McILroy, Day, Bradley and Justin Thomas – are in the running for one of the largest golf prices and a 4 million dollar winner bag for a weekend that rarely lacks theater and sorrow in Bay Hill.
“I would not want to play it every week, but I like these difficult golf courses because it challenges you,” said the double major champion Colin Morikawa, which is 5 sous after a Friday 68. “They are obviously great to play when you control your golf ball. Same when you are not.
“There is no cruise this week. It will only become more difficult, so we just have to be ready for it. »»
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