Jason Day isn’t positive if Augusta Nationwide will approve his “daring” outfit selections for the Masters, however the Australian was making an announcement of a unique sort on the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday.
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LEADERBOARD: Aussie Jason Day in competition after Spherical 2
Day rebounded from a poor opening day in Orlando with a surprising 64 in spherical two to storm into competition, now sitting tied for fifth and simply 4 photographs again from chief Shane Lowry.
It was a career-low rating in 41 rounds on the Arnold Palmer Invitational for Day, who additionally turned the primary participant to shoot 64 or higher at Bay Hill since Keegan Bradley in 2021.
It was additionally his lowest rating for the reason that opening spherical of The American Specific in January, when he recorded an 8-under 64 at La Quinta Nation Membership.
Day made a quick begin within the second spherical with a birdie on the par-5 fourth, including an eagle on the par-5 sixth after which one other birdie on the eighth earlier than rattling off three in a row from the eleventh.
“It was quite a bit simpler than yesterday,” Day mentioned.
“We have been within the morning and we had gusts of like 34 miles an hour, and it was like 50 levels. So, the ball was going nowhere and it was arduous. I shot 4 over, so I bested that by 12 immediately.”
Day added that the advance in his drives was notably “key” after a “horrific” opening spherical in that respect, whereas revealing he made some setup modifications to his placing along with his coach Cole Swatton.
“I’m not saying that, Hey, I’m going to return to 2015, 2016 placing, however a number of the stuff that I used to be doing I used to be slightly cramped, eyes too far over the ball,” he mentioned.
“I’ve at all times been an individual that has had my eyes on the within of the ball, like a great distance. Just a few head, a head place change. A little bit bit additional away. Palms, arms up slightly bit increased so the shoulders can pitch quite a bit higher or swing slightly bit higher.
“Velocity has improved dramatically since then, stroke’s improved dramatically.”
In the meantime, Day revealed earlier than the second spherical of motion that he wasn’t too assured of getting his deliberate outfits for subsequent month’s Masters permitted.
Day was requested to take away his “busy” sweater vest throughout final yr’s occasion at Augusta Nationwide and mentioned Malbon had some “daring” designs in thoughts for the 2025 version.
“So, now we have to get clearance on the scripting this yr,” Day instructed Johnston on the BeyondTheClubhouse podcast.
“To Malbon’s credit score, they’ve acquired some daring stuff, however I’m undecided it should move. So, we’ll see the way it goes.
“Hopefully, they’ll say sure, and if not, we’ll be going again to the drafting board and arising with one thing totally different.”
Elsewhere, whereas Day loved a powerful second spherical at Bay Hill it wasn’t excellent news for fellow Australian Cam Davis, who entered Saturday in a tie for sixth.
He did not make the reduce mark after ending the day six over, with a quadruple bogey on the enduring sixth gap his largest stumbling block.
All up, Davis completed the day with 4 extra bogeys and a double bogey alongside one birdie.
Aussie Davis in hunt at Arnold Palmer | 02:17
Min Woo Lee additionally missed the reduce, leaving Adam Scott (T33, +3) as the one different Australian nonetheless in competition.
Topping the leaderboard after the second spherical was a relaxed Shane Lowry, who fired a five-under-par 67 to open up a two-shot lead on the midway stage.
The 37-year-old Irishman reeled off six birdies and one bogey to move into the weekend on the Bay Hill Membership & Lodge on eight below by 36 holes.
Lowry had superior up the leaderboard after making 5 birdies within the opening 13 holes earlier than a lone bogey on the sixteenth — a gap he had eagled within the first spherical.
However he recovered that dropped shot with a birdie on the final, coolly rolling in a 17ft putt from simply off the inexperienced.
Lowry might need been compelled to share the lead had it not been for a late collapse from Wyndham Clark, the primary spherical chief.
Clark regarded poised to move into the weekend on the high of the leaderboard however stumbled with a double-bogey six on the fifteenth after hitting his tee shot out-of-bounds.
A birdie on 16 clawed again a type of photographs, however an additional bogey on the seventeenth meant Clark needed to accept a one-under-par 71, leaving him on six below total.
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“The robust factor out right here is you realize you’re going to hit some unhealthy photographs — perhaps a water ball or in my case an out-of-bounds ball,” Clark mentioned afterwards.
“However the robust factor is the greens are getting so agency and fairly borderline unplayable. It’s simply large that anytime you get in hassle, to minimise the errors.”
Collin Morikawa and Canada’s Corey Conners are three off the lead on 5 below, whereas McIlroy, Russell Henley and Day are an additional shot again on 4 below.
McIlroy had one other irritating day, his two-under-par 70 sprinkled with 5 birdies however offset by three bogeys together with a 5 on the par-four 18th.
Max Greyserman, Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley are 5 off the lead on three below, whereas defending champion Scottie Scheffler has some floor to make up heading into the weekend after struggling to an even-par 72 that left him on one below after 36 holes.
Scheffler’s day started nicely with a birdie on the primary, just for the wheels to return off on the par-three second with a double-bogey 5.
Two extra bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes left him three over for the spherical on the flip, however he recovered down the stretch to make three birdies on a bogey-free again 9.