The Starter: Round 2, Arnold Palmer Invitational
The second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is set to begin. Here's a look at Friday's round:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Michael Collins previews Friday's second round:
I said it at the beginning of the week and I was right. Six under leads after the first round.
Moving forward, the second-round weather forecast does not look good for the morning, so the guys teeing it up early will have to bring their rain gear and get prepared to stop and start. Don't think because we're getting some rain that scores are going to get any better. These greens are not going to get any easier. They are wreaking havoc with the guys out here now because they are really firm, but the speed even on downhill putts doesn't match the firmness. And if this rain comes, they are not gonna get any faster.
I talked to Kevin Na after his round and asked if he knew what his birdie putt meant on 18 (it was only his ninth hole of the day). He laughed and said, "Heck yeah I did!" Even early in the year the Kodak Challenge holes are playing on theses guys minds. And now Kevin Na is in the lead of the challenge.
Kevin Streelman, last year's winner, had a birdie putt inside 6 feet and said he saw me standing by the green calling the putt and had a dance ready when the putt went in... unfortunately it didn't even touch the hole and he said after a laugh, "That was embarrassing! I wanted to make it so bad and to miss the hole like that stinks."
Don't worry too much my friend, you shot 68 and it looks like you'll get three more shots at making birdie there this week.
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Todd Jones, head instructor at the TOUR Academy, analyzes the playing conditions this week at Bay Hill.
The first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard saw birdies as the rule of thumb for the day. The top four players combined for 26 birdies and two eagles: J.B. Holmes, four birdies and one eagle; Davis Love III, eight birdies and one eagle; Henrik Stenson, seven birdies; Mike Weir, seven birdies. No surprise, three out of the four players are currently in the top 10 in putts per greens in regulation.
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To go low, players need to capitalize on every birdie opportunity they get. The only way to do this is to hole putts. Great putting means not only making the vast majority of putts within 5 feet, but also consistently rolling in putts greater than 15 feet. Players like Davis Love (second in putts per green in regulation after Round 1) accomplish this because they get the putt started on line every time. This is not by accident! They practice this as much as they practice hitting that high draw with the driver, maybe even more.
Visit any practice green at a PGA TOUR event and you will always see a "Gate Drill" set up. The gate drill sees 4 tees placed in the ground -- two to frame the putter head, and two to frame the line of the putt (just wide enough for the ball to pass through), approximately 12 inches in front of the ball. The goal of the drill is to return the putter head through its gate and roll the ball trough the forward gate that frames the line of the putt. This ensures the putter head is returning to where it started and the face is square. A great recipe for good putting! Give the gate drill a try and watch your scores 'go low' as you start making more of those 10-15 footers.
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