Round 2, Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Mar. 27, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
8:25 am ET No. 1		Mark Wilson, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods After struggling at Doral, Woods finally got his putter working Thursday. Now can the rest of his game catch up? Track 'em
8:25 pm ET No. 10		Nick Watney, Davis Love III, Stephen Ames Red-hot Watney hit 83 percent of his greens in regulation Thursday. If he does that all week, he could win again. Track 'em
1:06 pm ET No. 1		Kenny Perry, Stewart Cink, Adam Scott These three Steady Eddies spent Thursday idling along. Can any of them start making some putts and get into the chase? Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Mark Carnevale previews Friday's second round:

You could probably say that Bay Hill was the winner in Round 1. With 65 as the low round and only 21 of 120 players breaking par, I can only assume this course will get tougher as we work our way through the weekend.

It is going to be important for players to drive accurately in order to give themselves opportunities for birdies. I saw some shots on the course Thursday totally dictated by the conditions of the rough. On the par-5 sixth hole, I saw Stewart Cink hit a shot into the water hazard left of the green, from about 120 yards, due to the difficulty of the rough. Stewart went on to make double bogey there. He did fight back and finish with an even-par round of 70, but I can't imagine conditions will get easier.

Friday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 86 high/67 low
Clouds and sun will share the skies throughout the day. The winds will blow out of the south, southeast at 10 to 20 mph.

A couple of players to keep an eye on in the second round are Jason Gore and Lee Janzen. Jason, who fired a 65 and led after the first round, has struggled this year, earning only $32,590 in seven events in 2009. It has been a struggle with injuries over the last few years, but a good tournament this week could put him on his way to a great recovery.

Lee has struggled for the past few years, not having won on TOUR since the 1998 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. The two-time U.S. Open champion is searching for some confidence, and the confidence gained in Puerto Rico could help him the remainder of this event. Keep an eye on both of these players in Round 2 to see if they are feeling the pressure.

Someone who is feeling the pressure, but in a different way, is Tiger Woods, who shot a first-round 68. The pressure is not coming from him, but assuredly from the media, as to when he will win. Let's just look back two weeks ago to the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, where Tiger posted rounds of 71-70-68-68. He improved every round, and I would expect him to do the same on Friday.

He didn't have his best ball-striking day in Round 1, but got a lot out of his round. Trailing by three headed into the second round, Tiger will start opening the menu, taking his time to look at what is offered and patiently waiting for the waiter to come back to order, even though he already knows what he wants.

The cut after the first round would have come at 2 over. I feel pretty confident the cut will be at least 4 over and maybe even slide to +5 after today.

Stat of the day

Tim Herron sits just one back after an opening 4-under 66. That represents his first round in the 60s at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since an opening-day 68 in 2001. He had posted 25 consecutive rounds of 70 and above prior to Thursday's sub-70 score. His 66 equals his career-best effort at Bay Hill.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS:
• This marks the third time in Gore's career that he has held at least a share of the first-round lead. He carried the opening-round lead at the 2005 84 Lumber Classic on to the winner's circle, while he eventually finished tied for seventh after leading after the first round of the 2007 Frys.com Open.

• Mark Wilson (67) and Skip Kendall (68) managed the only bogey-free rounds on Thursday. Wilson got the best of playing partners and multiple major champions Tiger Woods (68) and Padraig Harrington (70).

• The last first-round leader/co-leader to carry that lead to the winner's circle at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was Chad Campbell in 2004. In all, the first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the tournament nine times in 43 attempts, dating back to the inaugural event in 1966. One of those winners was tournament host Arnold Palmer, who carried the first-round lead in 1971 to a one-stroke victory over Julius Boros.

• Just 21 of 120 players managed to break par during the first round, as the scoring average totaled 72.118. The par-5 12th hole has played the easiest during the first round with a 4.630 average, while the par-4 16th hole was the toughest at 4.471 -- yielding just six birdies.

Thus far at Bay Hill

Round	Leader	Low round (par 70)	Key links
	Jason Gore (-5)	65: Jason Gore	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Helen Ross column \| Notebook

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today John Swantek updates action from the first round of the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and previews what to watch for in the second round. Watch it
	Shot of the day Tiger Woods chips in for birdie at the first hole at the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Watch it
	Tiger in the hunt Defending champion Tiger Woods shot 68 Thursday. After his round, Woods talked with Michael Collins from the PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM Radio. Watch it