WITH THE SEASON’S first major just two weeks away, now is not the time to start shooting rounds of golf in the 80s.
Yesterday’s eight-over par opening round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational could hardly have arrived at a worse time for Graeme McDowell. After the first day of play, just six players in a field of 119 lie beneath him.
It was a day without any redeeming points for the Ulsterman who recorded a catastrophic eight on the par-five sixth hole in addition to the six other bogies which sullied his card.
Barring a miracle later on this afternoon, McDowell is unlikely to make the cut for the weekend at Bay Hill. The field is currently led by American Spencer Levin who shot a bogey-free round of 66 to take a three-shot lead on six-under par.
Fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan are his nearest competitors after shooting three-under respectively.
Over on the European tour, the Irish contingent appear to be faring little better as the second day of play at the Andalucian Open continues.
With the projected cut envisaged to be at level par, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke are the only Irish representatives with genuine chances of making the weekend’s play.
Clarke, who tees off at 12:40 this afternoon, recorded a round of one-under yesterday while McGinley is at level par through 15 holes of his second round.
Damien McGrane will need a strong finish from his final three holes if he is to make the cut. He currently lies on one-over after 15 holes.
Two players who will certainly be packing their bags and heading home early however are Gareth Maybin and Shane Lowry. Maybin finished the second day with a disastrous round of 77 to leave himself on five-over par for the tournament while Lowry is having an even more torrid round.
At the time of writing, the Offaly man was ten-over for the day through 15 holes, leaving him to prop up the leaderboard on 15-over par.
