Arnold Palmer Invitational: Shane Lowry leads after second round

Shane Lowry carded a 5-under 67 in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida, establishing a two-shot lead. The Irishman's current total score is 8-under par, having started Friday two shots behind first-round leader Wyndham Clark. He is now in a strong position heading into the weekend.

Lowry birdied three holes on both the front and back nines of his round, with his only bogey coming on the par-5 16th, where he missed a four-foot par putt. His playing partner, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, bogeyed the 18th for the second consecutive day but still shot a solid 70, remaining competitive and sitting four shots back. McIlroy will need a strong showing on the weekend to contend.

2023 U.S. Open champion Clark dropped three shots in his final four holes and now trails Lowry by two strokes. His American compatriot Collin Morikawa carded a bogey-free 68 to move into a tie for third place with Canada's Corey Conners. Both Morikawa and Conners are well-positioned to make a run at the title.

Jason Day took advantage of more favorable conditions than on Thursday to post the round of the day. The Australian recorded an 8-under 64, including an eagle on the 532-yard par-5 sixth hole, marking his lowest score in 41 rounds at the event. Day's impressive round moved him up the leaderboard significantly.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, a two-time winner of the event in three previous appearances, saw his anticipated charge fail to materialize. He started with a birdie but then double-bogeyed the par-3 second after missing three 14-foot putts. Although he carded three birdies on the back nine, he only offset bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes, ultimately signing for a level-par 72, leaving him seven shots adrift. Scheffler will need a remarkable weekend performance to get back into contention.

Further down the leaderboard, Austria's Sepp Straka recovered from a first-round 77 with a 6-under 66 to comfortably make the cut. England's Matt Fitzpatrick also bounced back from a poor opening round of 78, shooting a 3-under 69 to ensure he would be playing on the weekend. Both players demonstrated resilience and determination to recover from their initial struggles.