Jason Day said he was playing better. He finally had a score to show for it on Thursday at Bay Hill.
Day one-putted his final seven holes, including a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-five 16th to take the lead and two tough par saves at the end for a six-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Among those one shot behind was Adam Scott, which was no surprise. Scott is the hottest player in golf, coming off two straight victories at the Honda Classic and the Cadillac Championship at Doral. He played bogey-free in benign weather on Thursday on a course where no blade of grass seemed to be out of place.
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Day has not played enough to have serious problems with his game, though he missed the cut at Torrey Pines and finished a combined 35 shots off the lead in the other three tournaments he entered this year. In the five tournaments since his previous victory in September last year, he has not finished within seven shots of the lead.
“There was no sense of urgency at all for me, really,” Day said. “I just kept on saying: ‘Just make sure you stay patient and things will happen, it will happen.’ I just got to make sure I get the reps under my belt and hope it will work. This is one good round, one good round in the right direction... So that helps.”
Rory McIlroy made a pair of double-bogeys and opened with a 75, leaving him in danger of missing his second straight cut against a full field.
He hit his opening tee shot out-of-bounds and made his other double-bogey with a shot into the water on No. 8. McIlroy hit two other shots into the water and escaped with par, while he made par putts of 10 feet, 15 feet and 25 feet.
“It probably could have been a few worse,” McIlroy said. “I end up shooting this. I’ll get some good work done on the range tonight and come out tomorrow and play a good round of golf to get myself into the red numbers, at least be here for the weekend [and] I can make a charge.”
Henrik Stenson, Marc Leishman, Brendan Steele and Troy Merritt were also on 67. The group on 68 included the resurgent K.J. Choi and Justin Rose, who made two eagles.
Day does not have a great history in his limited time at Bay Hill. Going into Thursday, he had broken 70 only three times in 14 rounds, with nothing lower than 68. He only had one bad swing, a tee shot that soared right and out of bounds on the ninth hole for a double-bogey. He played the last seven holes in five-under, including the six-iron he hit to within 10 feet on 16.
HERO INDIAN OPEN
Staff reporter
Terry Pilkadaris of Australia had a three-shot lead at the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi after yesterday’s second round. Pilkadaris added a 64 to his first-round 67 to lead Spain’s Nacho Elvira (68) and India’s S.S.P. Chawrasia (67).
Taiwan’s Lee Chieh-po was in a share of 104th, adding a 73 to his first-round 75. Compatriot Lin Wen-tang withdrew from the tournament after a first-round 75.
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