A BRILLIANT BACK nine saw Rory McIlroy card a second round 68 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, leaving him four-under for the tournament at the midway mark.
McIlroy is nine shots off the lead held by Daniel Berger who opened up a substantial lead, the Arnold Palmer Invitational Friday, carding an impressive 68 to sit 13 under par midway through the tournament at Florida’s challenging Bay Hill course.
But there was disappointment for Shane Lowry as he missed the cut due to a bogey on the par-four 18th. Lowry’s 73 today saw him finish at three-over, a shot outside the cutline.
The Offaly native was one-under for his round after an eagle three on the par-five 12th yet played the rest of his round in one-over as he dropped shots on 14 and 15, birdied the 16th, and then bogeyed the last.
Berger leads by five shots from Akshay Bhatia, with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg among the players on seven under par, along with Sahith Theegala who shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free round of 67, and Collin Morikawa.
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McIlroy – gearing up to defend his Masters title next month – also carded one of Friday’s best rounds, declaring himself “very pleased” to finish in 68 after an erratic even-par opening round.
McIlroy carded five birdies and a solitary bogey on the par-four eighth, where he found the water but prevented further damage with a 10-foot putt.
“I really felt like that kept any momentum that I had for the round going. I played the last 10 holes really, really well,” he said.
After his struggles yesterday in the closing holes, three-over for his last six holes saw him finish with a 72, McIlroy burst to life today at Bayhill after the turn.
He birdied on the short par-four 10th after sinking an 11-foot putt. McIlroy built on that on the par-five 12th, pitching to 48 feet and two-putting from there for his birdie. Another shot was gained on the 13th when his wedge left him nine feet from the hole to set up a birdie.
Rory McIlroy hits from the first fairway during his second round. Matt Slocum / Associated Press
Matt Slocum / Associated Press / Associated Press
He came close to an eagle with a 25-footer on the par-five 16th before settling for his fourth birdie of the back nine.
A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose last triumph came at Pebble Beach in 2021, Berger started his second round with intent, immediately sinking a 24-foot putt from the fringe for a birdie on the opening hole.
Though he recorded his first bogey of the week at par-three seventh, two-putting after finding a bunker, it was smooth sailing for the native Floridian on the back nine, where he picked up three more birdies.
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Second round 68 for McIlroy as Lowry misses the cut at Bay Hill
LAST UPDATE | 6 Mar
A BRILLIANT BACK nine saw Rory McIlroy card a second round 68 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, leaving him four-under for the tournament at the midway mark.
McIlroy is nine shots off the lead held by Daniel Berger who opened up a substantial lead, the Arnold Palmer Invitational Friday, carding an impressive 68 to sit 13 under par midway through the tournament at Florida’s challenging Bay Hill course.
But there was disappointment for Shane Lowry as he missed the cut due to a bogey on the par-four 18th. Lowry’s 73 today saw him finish at three-over, a shot outside the cutline.
The Offaly native was one-under for his round after an eagle three on the par-five 12th yet played the rest of his round in one-over as he dropped shots on 14 and 15, birdied the 16th, and then bogeyed the last.
Berger leads by five shots from Akshay Bhatia, with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg among the players on seven under par, along with Sahith Theegala who shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free round of 67, and Collin Morikawa.
McIlroy – gearing up to defend his Masters title next month – also carded one of Friday’s best rounds, declaring himself “very pleased” to finish in 68 after an erratic even-par opening round.
McIlroy carded five birdies and a solitary bogey on the par-four eighth, where he found the water but prevented further damage with a 10-foot putt.
“I really felt like that kept any momentum that I had for the round going. I played the last 10 holes really, really well,” he said.
After his struggles yesterday in the closing holes, three-over for his last six holes saw him finish with a 72, McIlroy burst to life today at Bayhill after the turn.
He birdied on the short par-four 10th after sinking an 11-foot putt. McIlroy built on that on the par-five 12th, pitching to 48 feet and two-putting from there for his birdie. Another shot was gained on the 13th when his wedge left him nine feet from the hole to set up a birdie.
He came close to an eagle with a 25-footer on the par-five 16th before settling for his fourth birdie of the back nine.
A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose last triumph came at Pebble Beach in 2021, Berger started his second round with intent, immediately sinking a 24-foot putt from the fringe for a birdie on the opening hole.
Though he recorded his first bogey of the week at par-three seventh, two-putting after finding a bunker, it was smooth sailing for the native Floridian on the back nine, where he picked up three more birdies.
- Additional reporting by AFP
– © AFP 2026
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