Every eases to lead over McIlroy at Bay Hill; Dodt moves up at Malaysian Open

Matt Every’s affinity for the Arnold Palmer Invitational was on display again on Thursday as the American fired seven birdies in a seven-under 65 to ease past Rory McIlroy for the first-round lead at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida.

World number one McIlroy was in the clubhouse on 66 when Every — whose two US PGA Tour victories came at Bay Hill in 2014 and 2015 — caught fire.

Every’s bogey-free round included a 45-foot birdie putt at the par-three second and a 32-foot birdie at the eighth — his penultimate hole of the day.

He found himself atop the leaderboard after missing the cut with a second-round 85 at the Honda Classic last week.

“Sometimes I’m really good, sometimes I’m really bad,” Every said. “It’s a weird game.”

McIlroy was buoyed by an eagle and five birdies in his five-under effort and was one stroke in front of Americans Talor Gooch and Scottie Scheffler.

McIlroy teed off on 10, and was delighted to salvage a bogey at the 11th, where an aggressive second shot found the water and he finished by rolling in an eight-foot putt to limit the damage.

“Making five instead of six there is a big deal,” McIlroy said. “One-over through two instead of two-over is sort of a different feeling.”

Birdies at 16 and 18 -- where he rolled in a 10-footer -- had McIlroy heading for the first with “a bit of good pep in my step.”

“I played some good Golf after that,” said McIlroy, who stuck his approach three feet from the pin for a birdie at the first.

He eagled the fourth, where he hit a superb shot out of the fairway bunker to reach the green and made the 24-foot putt.

McIlroy played alongside Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose of England and South Korean Lee Kyoung-Hoon -- a late replacement for defending champion Francisco Molinari after the Italian withdrew with a bad back.

It was another disappointment for 2018 British Open champion Molinari, who failed to make the cut in his last three events that featured a halfway cut.

Lee wasn’t feeling too hot himself after he and his wife were involved in a car crash on Wednesday morning that left Lee with neck pain.

“I felt sore in the morning, but after I got the tee time I couldn’t feel it,” quipped Lee, who posted an even par 72.

Brooks Koepka, trying to regain peak form in the wake of a knee injury with the Masters coming up in April, carded an even-par 72.

“Just can’t play Golf, can’t score,” said Koepka, who missed the cut at the Honda Classic last week. His best PGA Tour finish this season is a tie for 43rd at Riviera in February.

Australia’s Adam Scott, who won the Genesis Open at Riviera, slumped to a five-over par 77 that included a triple bogey and a double bogey.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Andrew Dodt shot a four-under-par 68 to hold a slim lead at the weather disrupted Malaysia Open Friday, keeping China’s Liu Yanwei at bay with a single shot advantage.

American duo Jarin Todd and Trevor Simsby are in close contention as they trail Dodt two shots adrift in tied-third, while South Korea’s Charlie Wi is four shots behind Dodt, the overnight leader, in fifth.

Lighting threats forced play to a halt at 4.15pm local time, which means 77 Golfers will return early Saturday morning to complete their second round.

Three-time Asian Tour winner Dodt, who fired a 63 in the opening round, hung on to his lead courtesy of a blemish-free scorecard that included four birdies for a two-day total of 13-under-par 131.

“It’s hard to back up a 63 but I did with a 68 today, pretty solid. I hit a lot of greens but didn’t hole as many putts as I did yesterday,” Dodt said.

Meanwhile, Liu surged into contention from tied-seventh, thanks to his solid 65 after trading nine birdies against two bogeys.

Dodt’s fragile lead could be temporary, with Japan’s Naoki Sekito having only played nine holes so far. The Asian Development Tour Order of Merit champion had trailed Dodt by two shots in second after the completion of the first round on Thursday.

This US$1 million Asian Tour event is making a return following a four-year absence, even as many sporting events are cancelled worldwide due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Organisers have taken precautions such as temperature checks for players and spectators.

Agence France-Presse