Tiger Finishes Round 2 at 4-Under-140

ORLANDO, Fla. – Tiger Woods posted his eighth consecutive round of par or better on Friday during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Woods started slowly but finished strong to shoot an even-par 72. He is tied for 18th at 4-under 140, seven strokes behind co-leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Henrik Stenson with two rounds remaining.

An eight-time winner of the tournament, Woods wasn’t thrilled with his ball-striking and grinded hard in his fifth PGA Tour start of the season. But after touring the front nine in 2-over, he went 2-under on the back.

A late starter with Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama, Woods struggled early, missing the first three greens. At the par-4 first hole, he hooked an iron off the tee into the left trees and had to punch out, resulting in a bogey.

Woods scrambled for par at two then reeled off six consecutive pars. He stumbled again at the par-4 ninth, squandering a nice drive with a poor approach and three-putted for a bogey from 61 feet.
Following pars at 10 and 11, Woods forged his first birdie at the par-5 12h. He made a terrific par-save at 14, where he short-sided himself near the lip of the front-right bunker and the ball semi-buried. Woods popped it out 22 feet beyond the cup and buried the par putt.

He produced his second birdie at the par-5 16th, knocking his second shot with a 5-iron from 192 yards 22 feet from the hole and two-putted. After a 323-yard drive at the par-4 18th, his longest of the day, Woods nestled his second shot 15 feet above the hole and lipped out, dropping to his knees.
He wound up hitting 10 of 18 greens and 57 percent of the fairways.

After blitzing the four par-5s in 4-under Thursday, he played them 2-under Friday.
Woods begins third round play on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. with Brandt Snedeker.