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2022 Arnold Palmer Tournament Scorer: Viktor Hovland leads Rory McIlroy by two shots after round 2


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Viktor Hovland has the lowest round of the day with 6 under 66 and is off to another great start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This time, he has a good idea of ​​what to expect on a weekend in Bay Hill.

Rory McIlroy got a sneak preview.

Hovland played on Friday morning and set his sights on a warm day with rising winds, making seven bird strikes and a couple of key pars late into the second half. He posted 9 under 135.

McIlroy was playing in the afternoon and was ready to catch him until his hitter dropped him onto the lawns that were becoming brittle and slippery. Taking the lead, McIlroy missed a 4-foot par, an 8-foot putt on the next two holes for birdie and par, and he finished 72nd by missing a delicious opportunity from 15 foot distance.

He’s behind the two alongside former Bay Hill winners Tyrrell Hatton (68) and Talor Gooch (68), who won their first PGA Tour title in the final official event last year.

Hovland was two shots behind last weekend when he closed with rounds 77-78 and trailed 15 shots behind.

“I try to forget the weekend I spent here last year,” he said. “I played really well in the first days, very similar to how I’ve played so far this year. The course got harder and harder every day, and it started blowing. and I just didn’t really take the drugs. .”

McIlroy opened with 65 in slightly milder conditions on Thursday morning and it didn’t take long for him to realize how much the game had changed. He got through the opening and put up a good fight with three birdies.

And then it is a diet until they are exhausted. He was even seven times worse off, and said it didn’t feel like that.

“Those are the greens you’d expect to see late on Sunday, not late on Friday,” says McIlroy. “It’s going to be interesting to see where they go from here, but it’s going to be a good test of the weekend. I’m glad I hit 18 holes in those conditions because the pitch has certainly changed a lot. compared to when I played yesterday morning to this afternoon.

“I’ll prepare a little more for it tomorrow.”

As for Hatton, he didn’t know what to think except that he played well. That was evident in his 22 putts. He won the championship two years ago – the last PGA Tour event before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the course down for three months – and has a good feel for the pitch. It’s the only part of his game that feels right.

“I’m not very happy with the way the golf ball has been played the past few days,” Hatton said. “I think the score is pretty good. I played really well, that’s why I got the score I wanted, but I know that I can’t continue to hit it so badly it’s definitely going to be difficult. harder this weekend.

“Hopefully, I can find a golf swing and hopefully it’ll hold up this weekend.”

Gooch didn’t miss a shot until his last hole. Still, it was a great performance when he played in the afternoon. His round included a 40-foot eagle swooping downhill at par-5 16, and he rarely lost his position until he went from the thick bump on the right side of the ninth fairway to the bunker on the side. first, let me be nearly 40 meters from the rear post. .

Bay Hill was such a test that Jon Rahm still couldn’t find his groove with the putter and had a shot outside the top 10. He had 70 and was among the bottom seven.

The cut is 3 out of 147, the sixth year in a row it’s exceeded.

Patrick Reed missed it by a shot, his third tournament in a row unsuccessful. That hasn’t happened with Reed since 2017. Seven players shot 80 or higher.

Hovland had no such worries, and he was particularly good at ninth as he ran a 25-foot birdie putt on day 15, two birdies on day 16 and then smashed a 5-iron from 230 yards to 10 feet. on the 17th par-3 for the third birdie in a row.

McIlroy, who had 30 puts, was told that Hovland needed only 23 and Hatton needed 22. He gave the same answer to both questions, knowing they would all be late.

“See how he does tomorrow.”

DIVOTS: The pitch for The Players Championship opened on Friday and Phil Mickelson is out of action for the first time since 2003. Mickelson has said he needs a break following disparaging comments about a tournament. Sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour. The missing players also include Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Harris English, all due to injuries and different stages of recovery.

Copyright 2022 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and the Associated Press is strictly prohibited.





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