A again 9 collapse ruined Adam Scott’s day as Daniel Berger opened up a considerable lead within the second spherical of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Florida’s difficult Bay Hill course.
Scott was in a share of third when he birdied the par 5 twelfth, however agonisingly bogeyed 4 of the subsequent 5 holes to fall out of the competition.
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The Australian veteran was compelled to take a penalty on the thirteenth as his ball rolled by the inexperienced and was caught between a number of rocks.
He then three-putted from the perimeter on 14 earlier than lacking two quick putts on 15.
Scott’s birdie likelihood from 1.53 metres didn’t even hit the cup.
Neither did his par putt from even nearer.
Scott then dropped one other shot at 17 as he did not get up-and-down from a greenside bunker.
He ended his spherical with a one-over par 73 and three-under for the match.
The 2013 Masters champion was not the one one to have bother with the rocks, or the greens.
After his last spherical collapse ultimately week’s Cognizant Basic, Shane Lowry (+3) suffered the brutal blow of getting to play from the rocks beside the 18th inexperienced.
The Irishman’s ball got here out virtually sideways and he made bogey consequently.
Nevertheless it was Scottie Scheffler’s blow up on the ultimate inexperienced that raised most eyebrows.
After the world No.1 made bogey at 18, he threw his ball into the water in frustration.
Scheffler signed off on a 71 and sits three-under for the match.
In the meantime, fellow Australian Min Woo Lee felt his countryman’s ache on the greens.
Lee shot a one-under par 72 to take a seat in a tie for ninth at four-under, however dropped three pictures on the again 9.
“The final six holes the greens have been crusty and a little bit of wind, so it made placing very arduous,” he mentioned.
“I felt like we have been taking a look at putts from each angle. It’s not simple as the fellows on the market have gotten it fairly difficult.
“So, it was good to play within the morning yesterday and publish a rating.”
“The speeds are unbelievably fast,” Lee added when requested about what makes the greens so difficult.
“Particularly downwind. Some like 20 footers, you’ve acquired to hit like 4 ft arduous and so they nonetheless attain the opening.
“There’s a little bit of a guess and quite a lot of it’s really feel. We don’t get that crusty greens wherever we play, however right here is likely one of the locations that’s.
“It’s a little bit of luck but it surely’s crispy. Hit some good putts. That’s all you are able to do.”
On the high of the leaderboard, Berger carded a powerful 68 to take a seat 13 beneath par halfway by the match
The 32-year-old American entered the clubhouse with a six-shot lead over a crowded subject, as he chases his first PGA Tour win in 5 years.
“I really really feel like I performed higher immediately,” Berger mentioned, regardless of having made a flawless 63 the day prior to this.
“I believe the course was a little bit more durable immediately. The inexperienced speeds are up there. The pin positions are powerful.”
A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose final triumph got here at Pebble Seaside in 2021, Berger began his second spherical with intent, instantly sinking a 24-foot putt from the perimeter for a birdie on the opening gap.
Although he recorded his first bogey of the week at par-three seventh, two-putting after discovering a bunker, it was clean crusing for the native Floridian on the again 9, the place he picked up three extra birdies.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg was among the many gamers within the clubhouse on seven beneath par, together with Sahith Theegala who shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free spherical of 67.
The American managed 5 birdies, holing in from a bunker on the tenth and placing from 14 ft on the sixteenth.
Theegala expressed reduction at holding his scorecard flawless with a clutch 10-foot par putt on the ultimate gap.
“It was an ideal spherical, to go round this place with no bogeys. That putt on the final for positive meant loads,” he mentioned.
Theegala predicted situations would change into even more durable, with the greens anticipated to get firmer nonetheless over a scorching weekend.
“A part of the explanation why I really like this place is simply, it’s straight carnage… these first few days have been most likely nearly as good as scoring will get out right here,” he mentioned.
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Rory McIlroy — gearing as much as defend his Masters title subsequent month — additionally carded certainly one of Friday’s finest rounds, declaring himself “more than happy” to complete in 68 after an erratic even-par opening spherical.
McIlroy carded 5 birdies and a solitary bogey on the par-four eighth, the place he discovered the water however prevented additional harm with a 10-foot putt.
“I actually felt like that stored any momentum that I had for the spherical going. I performed the final 10 holes actually, rather well,” he mentioned.