Arnold Palmer Invitational Round 2: Shane Lowry Grinds His Way to a Two-Shot Lead

Shane Lowry has never needed a birdie barrage to feel at home. Give him firm greens, a stiff test and a scorecard where par feels like a small victory, and he starts to look like the most comfortable man on the property.

That was Friday at Bay Hill. Lowry shot a 5-under 67 with six birdies to reach 8-under 136 and take a two-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Wyndham Clark, the first-round leader, sits alone in second at 6 under after a 71. Collin Morikawa (68) and Corey Conners (70) share third at 5 under, and a trio of Rory McIlroy, Russell Henley and Jason Day lurks at 4 under. Lowry is the only player in the field to break 70 in both rounds.

Pars Are Good

The Irishman set the tone early with a 20-foot birdie at the par-3 2nd, added another from eight feet at the 3rd and stuck his tee shot at the par-3 7th to roll in a 14-footer. The best putt of the day came at the 13th, a 35-footer that dropped, and he followed it with a 10-foot par save at 14 to keep the momentum alive.

There was one wobble. Lowry missed a 4-foot par putt at the par-5 16th, the kind of hole where the field expects to pick up a shot, not give one back. He answered at the last, holing an 18-footer from the fringe to restore the two-shot cushion.

"I just like the grind of 'pars are good,' you know?" Lowry said, per the AP. "I like the type of golf where any time you break 70 you feel like you've had a good day."

He did it while playing alongside McIlroy, his partner in last year's Zurich Classic win. "I feel like I thrive in those situations," Lowry said, per Sky Sports. Lowry also has unfinished business here. He shared the 54-hole lead with Scottie Scheffler a year ago and finished third, and his last individual title came at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour.

Clark Fist-Pumps a Double

Clark's 71 was the most eventful round among the contenders. He birdied the 1st, then needed a ruling at the 3rd when his ball appeared to sit in its own pitch mark. The TOUR rules committee later said he broke no rules. He birdied two of three holes starting at the 10th before his drive at the 15th sailed out of bounds.

Clark went back to the tee, then holed a 20-footer just to escape with a double bogey. "I don't know if I've ever fist-pumped a double bogey," Clark said, per the AP. It kept him two back, which is exactly where he finished a year ago after sharing the 36-hole lead and settling for second.

The Chase Pack Tightens

Morikawa's 68 was quiet and efficient, the kind of round that rarely grabs Friday headlines. Conners stayed steady with a 70 to join him at 5 under. Henley matched Morikawa with a 68 to climb into the group at 4 under.

McIlroy looked ready to make his move on the back nine, with three birdies in a five-hole stretch, before a wayward tee shot at the 18th led to a bogey and a second straight 70. He is four back and squarely in the conversation.

Justin Thomas shot 70 despite a double bogey from the bunker at the par-3 14th, recovering with two birdies over the final three holes to sit at 3 under with Max Greyserman (71) and Keegan Bradley (72).

Day Finds Something

The round of the tournament belonged to Jason Day. One day after a 76 in Thursday's wind, the 2016 champion here posted an 8-under 64 with seven birdies and an eagle, his lowest score ever at Bay Hill. The 12-shot swing lifted him into a share of fifth.

The timing is not an accident. Day reunited with Col Swatton, his longtime coach, the week before the tournament and worked on setup changes. "He knows my game better than anyone, obviously, because we've had the history there," Day said, per Golf Digest.

Scheffler Stalls, the Cut Bites

The defending champion never got going. Scottie Scheffler made a three-putt double bogey at the par-3 2nd after missing from 30 inches, played the back nine bogey-free and still signed for an even-par 72. He is at 1-under 143, seven shots back with 36 holes to play.

The cut came at 4-over 148, with 51 players advancing from the 72-man field. Xander Schauffele survived right on the number. After two straight double bogeys he made three birdies in four holes for a 71, stretching his run of made cuts to 58 in a row, dating to the 2022 Masters. Others were not as lucky. Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Cameron Young and Tom Kim all went home early, with Homa's opening 81 sending him to a third straight missed cut.

Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun shot 72 and made the weekend, moving to 19 points in the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program, one short of the 20 needed for a TOUR card.

Built for the Weekend

Bay Hill with firm greens is not a place where a two-shot lead feels safe, and nobody knows that better than the names behind Lowry. Clark has been here before. McIlroy and Day each have a Bay Hill trophy at home. With $20 million on the line at a signature event, Saturday will test whether Lowry's love of the grind holds up for two more days.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more details.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap and leaderboard), AP, Sky Sports, Golf Digest, Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.