They might have been on different sides of the course for two days here at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, but Henrik Stenson and Bryson DeChambeau have certainly been on the same page.
Try 12 birdies for the big Swede against 14 birdies and an eagle from the former the US Amateur champion pretty much having their way with things at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard. Stenson added a 3-under 69 to his opening 64 to get halfway home in 11-under, tied with DeChambeau (67-66).
If the Thursday noise belonged to Stenson, Friday was more about DeChambeau. He made an early bogey, then birdied five times in a 10-hole stretch starting at the par-5 fourth. Shaking off a bogey at the par-3 14th hole, DeChambeau hit his second shot to 7 feet and made an eagle at the 497-yard, par-5 16th. A closing birdie got him even with Stenson, who was finishing at about the same time on the other side of the course.
DeChambeau credited a good week of rest after withdrawing from last week’s Valspar Championship, but Stenson had a time-honored explanation: ‘Putting, more than anything.’
Indeed, his great work Thursday could have been squandered away in his opening nine holes in Friday’s winter chill, only Stenson converted testing par saves of 5 feet at the 15th, 7 feet at 16, 15 feet at 17 and 5 feet at 18.
‘I scrambled for par after all those holes after hitting some not so good golf shots,’ said Stenson, who has four top 10s here, but is looking for his first win.
Credit: PGA TOUR
