Christiaan Bezuidenhout battled to a three-over-par 75 on Friday in the second round of the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course in Orlando, Florida.
Bezuidenhout made a solitary birdie in his second round, on the 10th hole, and he dropped shots on the ninth, 11th, 13th and 14th as he slipped to level-par for the tournament. He was in a share of 19th, eight shots behind the leader. Shane Lowry of Ireland sat atop the leaderboard at eight-under after his second round of five-under-par 67.
Lowry led by two from Wyndham Clark of the United States, with Corey Conners of Canada and American Collin Morikawa one further back sharing third on five-under.
Lowry had six birdies in slightly tamer conditions. It wasn’t as cold as the day before. The wind was minimal. Bay Hill still had some bite, as Wyndham Clark, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele showed at various times. Lowry, playing alongside good friend Rory McIlroy, holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 13th and closed with an 18-foot birdie.
Aldrich Potgieter’s first taste of a Signature Event on the PGA Tour ended ahead of the weekend as he carded a one-over-par 73. He finished his tournament on eight-over, missing the cut to the top 50 platers and ties.
