The Live Report: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Round 2
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ROUND 2 WINDING DOWN (5:50 p.m.): A four-way tie for the lead and 18 players within four shots of that lead. That's what we're looking at as the second round winds down.
The biggest story among the four co-leaders, though, is Ernie Els. Everything seems to be going his way of late. He won the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, was on the winning Tavistock Cup team (Lake Nona) and bounced back to shoot a 69.
Els has a lot of star-studded competition, though, with Davis Love III Houdini-ing his way into a share of the lead and Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson one back with Mike Weir two back. Even Steve Stricker, who managed just a 71 Friday, is only three back.
As for Henrik Stenson, he got that birdie, sticking it to 6 feet on No. 18 to make it by a stroke. -- Brian Wacker
STENSON STUMBLES (5:40 p.m.): Henrik Stenson began the day just one shot off the lead. Where is he now? Try struggling to make the cut. He's 7 over on the round and will need a birdie, at least, to make it to the weekend. -- Brian Wacker
ELS PULLS EVEN (5:20 p.m.): How about Ernie Els? At one point, the round was getting away from him. Now, he's tied for the lead at 7 under heading into the weekend, trying to win for the second time in three weeks after winning once since 2004 and his victory at TPC Blue Monster at Doral.
Els made six birdies and just one bogey over his final 11 holes at Bay Hill Friday. And while he took 30 putts on the day, Els was better with the flat stick as the round wore on.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, Els is having a bounce back season in a big way. -- Brian Wacker
LEADERBOARD CHECK (4:55 p.m.): Early this morning, it looked like Davis Love III might run away and hide. Not now. Love and two others are tied for the lead at 7 under, but they have a lot of company.
Even as scoring has slowed in the afternoon wave, there are a dozen players within three shots of the lead right now. That includes Ernie Els, Heath Slocum and Mike Weir -- all of whom are still on the golf course with a chance to creep closer. Ditto J.B. Holmes and K.J. Choi. And there are another half-dozen players currently four shots back. In other words, we could be in for a shootout over the weekend. -- Brian Wacker
LONG LIVE THE KING (4:35 p.m.): Arnold Palmer will obviously continue to be omnipresent at Bay Hill, but so will his grandson, Sam Saunders, at least through the weekend.
Saunders finished his first two rounds at Bay Hill in 1 under after shooting a 2-under 70 Friday. Saunders had three birdies and just one bogey in Round 2 and he'll cash a check on the PGA TOUR for a third time this season. Saunders tied for 70th at Pebble Beach in February and tied for 17th, his best-ever finish on TOUR, at PGA National three weeks ago. -- Brian Wacker
FROM THE INTERVIEW ROOM (4:20 p.m.): So much for a conservative Phil Mickelson. Asked if his wild 67 -- six birdies, three bogeys, one eagle -- was stressful or just the way it goes for him, Mickelson said, "I have a tendency to have up-and-down rounds like that. But it's fun. I enjoy trying to create shots and hit shots and take on some of these pins and make birdies, and unfortunately I tend to make a few mistakes at times, as well."
Still, Mickelson thinks, or at least hopes, there will be some consistency in the near future.
"I'm excited about having three weeks in a row," Mickelson said. "I've had an awkward schedule because of the stuff we've had at home, and now that I'm playing the next three, it gives me a chance to build some momentum, work with Butch [Harmon] and work into the round, work into the competition, rather than having one week on and one week off."
As for his putting? Mickelson called it "great" on Friday and said it was his best putting round of the year. "I feel so much better with the flat stick," he said. "I have much better direction and I spent a bunch of time with Dave Stockton and I feel like I don't have to attack every pin, and I can still make birdies."
Unrelated, Mickelson also said he wouldn't mind being paired with Tiger Woods at the Masters, however unlikely it would seem.
"I enjoyed the challenge of competing with him in last year's Masters on the final day," Mickelson said. "Everyone is excited to have him back." -- Brian Wacker
ON THE REBOUND (3:55 p.m.): Through the first five holes, it looked like Ernie Els was headed down a slippery slope and out of contention. Well, Els has now birdied four of his last five holes to get back to 2 under on the day and 6 under for the week.
Once again, it's been Els' putter that seems to be carrying him -- which was not the case early in his round. Since taking 11 putts through his first five holes, Els has taken just eight putts over the last seven holes. Of course, good ball-striking didn't hurt either. Els' last two birdies came from 6 feet and in. -- Brian Wacker
CUT CHECK (3:40 p.m.): The cut line remains at 1 over right now -- and judging by the slow down in scoring, it's not going any lower this afternoon. That leaves some notable names on the outside looking in right now, including: Tim Clark (2 over, through 13 holes today); Brian Gay (even/11), Bubba Watson (3 over) and Camilo Villegas (3 over/10). -- Brian Wacker
THIS AND THAT (3:15 p.m.): The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win four of 12 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season -- most recently Ernie Els at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. ...
The 36-hole leader/co-leader of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard has previously gone on to win 16 of 44 times, most recently Kenny Perry in 2005 and Tiger Woods in 2000, 2002 and 2003. ...
There has not been a multiple winner through the first 13 events of the 2010 season. Since 1983, there have been only three seasons that have gone further into the season without a multiple winner -- 2004 (14 events, Phil Mickelson), 2002 (15 events, Woods) and 1994 (20 events, Nick Price). -- John Bush
HOW BIZARRE (3 p.m.): Just how strange have Davis Love III's first two rounds been here at Bay Hill?
Well, his par-less opening nine is something that happened to three players in 2009 (Nick O'Hern, Martin Laird and Wil Collins). But his 12 pars through the first 36 holes equals the second-fewest at Bay Hill since 1983. See below for more. -- Brian Wacker
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NOT SO EASY (2:50 p.m.): Much of Ernie Els' success this season, including his win at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, has been because of his putting. Here in the second round, it's a big part of the reason why Els is struggling.
After shooting a 68 to sit just two shots back of the lead, Els has played his first eight holes Friday in 1 over with two bogeys and one birdie. He's also taken 14 putts through those eight holes. That includes a three-putt on the fifth hole, where Els missed a par save from 5 feet. -- Brian Wacker
HOLMES HAS A HICCUP (2:33 p.m.): Just outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings -- No. 58 to be exact -- time is running short for J.B. Holmes to qualify for the Masters. A win here would obviously take care of that.
Unfortunately for Holmes, though, he just rinsed his tee shot on the par-5 sixth hole, where he went on to make double bogey. Holmes is 2 over on his round through seven holes and has fallen three shots back after opening with a 66 on Thursday. -- Brian Wacker
CUT CHECK (2:18 p.m.): The cut line has been hovering at 1 over all day and that's good news for Rickie Fowler, among others, who rallied to shoot 72 and finish right on the number. It's not so good for Danny Lee (remember him?), who is in at 2 over through 36 holes, or Bubba Watson, who was five strokes better today but still finished at 3 over.
Camilo Villegas is 4 over for the week, but he still has time. He's 1 under through his first five holes. -- Brian Wacker
CURTIS, TRAHAN TIE FOR THE LEAD (1:40 p.m.): In the end, Davis Love III's wild two rounds of 14 birdies, 12 pars, nine bogeys and one eagle added up to 7 under through 36 holes at Bay Hill.
Ben Curtis and D.J. Trahan were more conventional, shooting 5 and 4 under, respectively, on Friday to pull even with Love halfway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Curtis made seven birdies and two bogeys Friday, missing just four greens in regulation on his way to 28 putts for a second day in a row. Trahan, who has finished in the top 17 in each of his last three starts and who was seventh at the Bob Hope Classic earlier this year, only missed two fairways and three greens on his way to five birdies and just one bogey.
Now the three will sit back and see if anyone in the afternoon wave can catch them. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON, GOOSEN SHOOT 67 (1:15 p.m.): Phil Mickelson hit more fairways today -- nine to be exact -- but it's the work he's put in with the putter that's continued to pay dividends. Mickelson took just 23 putts Friday on his way to shooting a 5-under 67 here at Bay Hill. That included one hole, by the way, where he didn't need the putter -- he holed out for eagle from 134 yards on the par-4 eighth.
Retief Goosen, meanwhile, also putted well and hit 11 of 14 fairways on his way to a 67 as well. Goosen missed just one putt inside 10 feet all day and rolled in three putts from beyond that distance. Goosen has very quietly (no pun intended) put together a very nice season with four finishes in the top six, including a fifth-place finish at last week's Transitions Championship. It doesn't look like that trend will change this week with Goosen currently tied for fourth and playing well. -- Brian Wacker
BIRDIE ALERT (12:41 p.m.): Ben Curtis hasn't made the cut in either of his last two starts and hasn't finished higher than 42nd in any event this year, but he's making a big move up the leaderboard thanks to six birdies over his last 10 holes.
Four of those birdies came outside of 15 feet for Curtis, including his latest one on No. 15, where the former British Open champ bombed one in from 43 feet, 4 inches.
The last time Curtis won was in 2006 at the now-defunct 84 Lumber Classic, but he's just two shots back of Davis Love III's lead at the moment. -- Brian Wacker
TO PAR OR NOT TO PAR (12:16 p.m.): Usually when a guy makes just two pars on his first nine holes two days in a row, it isn't a very good thing. Unless of course that guy is Davis Love III this week at Bay Hill.
Love had four birdies, an eagle, two bogeys and two pars in his opening round. Here in Round 2, as mentioned earlier, he turned in 33 on the back with six birdies and three bogeys. They all add up the same, though, and Love is 3 under today and 9 under for the week, leading by three at the moment. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Love's fist nine holes each of the last two days, starting with today's round on the left:
MORNING MOVERS (12 p.m.): For a second straight day, scoring is proving to be good in the morning here at Bay Hill, where Davis Love III has opened up a two shot lead and is 3 under through his first 12 holes today.
D.J. Trahan has also moved into contention at 4 under through his first 12 holes with a bogey-free round in which he's missed just two fairways and two greens all morning. Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, has fallen back with with a couple of bogeys midway through his round, but has since bounced back with a birdie on No. 4 (he started on the back nine). Mickelson is 3 under today and 4 under for the week. -- Brian Wacker
FEAST OR FAMINE (11:36 a.m.): It's amazing how varied Rickie Fowler's results have been this season. The PGA TOUR rookie nearly won in Phoenix and tied for fifth in San Diego, but he's also missed four cuts and finished in a tie for 27th and a tie for 46th in his two other starts.
After today, Fowler might add a fifth missed cut. He shot a 73 Thursday and is currently 1 over through nine holes today. That has him one shot outside the current cut of 1 over. Thursday, Fowler had four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. Here in the second round, he has three birdies and four bogeys. -- Brian Wacker
UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACH (11:23 a.m.): Davis Love III just made the turn, leading by two shots at 9 under. He started on the back nine and shot 33 -- while not making a single par.
Love opened with a 31-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole. He gave that back when he bogeyed No. 11, but rebounded with birdie putts of 9 and 21 feet on his next two holes. Another bogey followed at the 14th hole before Love embarked on a stretch of three straight birdies to move to 10 under.
Love couldn't get up and down from the greenside bunker at the 18th so he capped his first nine with a bogey. He finally made his first par of the day at the first hole when he two-putted from 52 feet. -- Helen Ross
ONE WAY LEFT (11:21 a.m.): There are only two ways to get a last-minute invitation to the Masters.
A player can win at Bay Hill on Sunday or at next week's Shell Houston Open to earn a spot. The other invitation criteria is to be in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking when it comes out on Monday.
Davis Love III, who ranks 89th in the world but leads by two at the moment at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, can only get there with a win. He's been in the same position before, though, and played his way into the field at Augusta National when he won the 1995 Freeport-McMoRan Classic.
If he doesn't win this week or next, though, Love, who has missed the last two Masters, plans to go turkey hunting and spend time with his two kids. Depending on who's playing well at Augusta National, he might watch it on TV.
"I watch my friends play," Love said. "I watch more Champions Tour golf this year. Freddie's playing good; I've got to watch him. If Justin Leonard or Lucas or whoever, one of my buddies is playing good, I tend to watch more." -- Helen Ross
CHANGE IS GOOD (11:10 a.m.): Count Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III among the fans of the course changes Arnold Palmer made at Bay Hill.
"I thought everything that was changed was for the better," Mickelson said. "I loved Arnold's attitude a few months ago when he said we are going to make 4 and 16 par 5s -- these guys are the best players in the world, if they shoot 20 under, they shoot 20 under.
"That's a great attitude to have. I think as players we are getting tired of some of the courses being doctored so much."
Both players have gotten into course design so they look at changes like the ones Palmer made with a more critical and practiced eye. The new chipping areas around the greens were particularly well-received because of the variety of options available to the player.
"I stood there at No. 4 today, and I said, you know, I could put this, or I could chip-and-run it up the hill, or I could hit my sand wedge and lob it on the green," Love said. "Last year, it would have been just hacking it out of the rough, trying to get it up on the green.
"So I think it's a great way to play, and it's a great style for the fans. I think it's more fun to watch."
Mickelson agreed. "The bunkering was terrific and there were a lot of short game areas around the green that provided challenging shots and really made the golf course fun to play." -- Helen Ross
PRACTICE PERFECT (11 a.m.): Phil Mickelson spent four days with Dave Stockton last week working on his putting, and swing coach Butch Harmon is with the left-hander this week.
Mickelson, who opened with a 71 on Thursday, used just 26 putts while making four birdies and three bogeys. The ball-striking appears to still be a work in progress, though, as he hit just 5 of 14 fairways and half of his greens.
Today, Mickelson is already 4 under through his first nine holes with just two missed fairways and one missed green and only 13 putts.
Mickelson, who won at Bay Hill in 1997, did not play here last year. When his wife's on-going treatment for breast cancer prompted him to skip the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, though, Lefty decided to add the tournament back to his schedule.
He will also play in the Shell Houston Open before heading to Augusta National where he has won two Masters.
"I'm looking forward to these next three weeks," Mickelson said. "I feel like I have direction where ball-striking and putting are concerned, and short game has been pretty good. So I don't feel far off.
"Again I've got three weeks to get going for Augusta. It's been tough on my schedule this year having a week on, week off, week on, week off, it's a tough way to get into my routine, so I'll enjoy playing these next three." -- Helen Ross
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