Defending champ Rory McIlroy spoiled a brilliant closing nine fireworks display with too many bogey fizzlers on day two at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy was one-over at the turn before lightning-up the Bay Hill leader-board thanks to a 15th hole eagle along with three birdies but in a sad two-under par 70 and a similar 36-hole tally.
The World No. 6 headed to lunch trailing seven shots behind victorious Ryder Cup team-mate, Tommy Fleetwood who produced a 66 to grab the early clubhouse lead at nine-under par in the Euro 8.45m event.
McIlroy went into day two at level par and after teeing-off at the 10th, he dropped to one-over in bogeying his second hole from a greenside bunker before holing a four-footer for birdie at his seventh.
He then found a greenside bunker left at the 18th or the ninth hole of his round to walk off with bogey.
Rory McIlroy’s Hole of the Day – HOLE OF THE DAY – 316 yards over water for eagle ‘3’
and then holes an eagle ‘3’ putt.
Wow, @McIlroyRory. 🦅#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/xb6jqS4Ppn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2019
McIlroy then lit the fuse on a great six holes when he holed a six-footer at his 10th hole ahead of draining a 24-foot birdie gem at his 12th and following that up in sinking a five-footer for birdie at the fourth hole on the card and the 13th of his round.
Though no sooner did McIlroy get on his charge when he put his second shot, and from the middle of the fairway, into a greenside bunker for an eventualy bogey.
McIlroy redeemed himself brilliantly with the shot of his round in first landing a 316-yard drive slap bang in the middle of his 15th fairway and then sticking a 193-yard second shot to eight-feet before holing the eagle ‘3’ putt and move to three-under.
He pared his 16th but walked off with a ‘don’t get in my way’ look on his face in three-putting his 17th for bogey ahead of a closing par and a then share of 18thplace.
And while McIlroy was in no mood for a long fireside chat, Fleetwood warmed to thoughts of capturing a first PGA Tour title and after his round included bagging a pair of eagles with the first at the sixth and a second at 12.
“I’ve done a lot of good things over the last two, three years, so, yeah, that’s pretty clear in our minds that that would be the next logical step to win in America or win on the PGA Tour,” he said.
“If so, then we’ll see where we go from there.
“I feel like if we can keep improving — I got off to a pretty slow start to the year so if I can just keep improving and keep doing the right things and focusing on myself, hopefully that will be the result of things.”
Fleetwood’s won four times in Europe while he has finished runner-up twice in PGA Tour sanctioned events including runner-up in last year’s US Open.
