He began the day three shots behind 36-hole leader Shane Lowry, but the Irishman struggled at Bay Hill, opening the door for Morikawa and others to move up the leaderboard. Lowry sat at 8-under at the midway point but dropped two shots on his first two holes — a harbinger of things to come.

Shane Lowry had six birdies Friday in slightly tamer conditions for a 5-under 67, giving him a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Shane Lowry rang up six birdies in a 5-under-par 67 to establish a two-shot lead halfway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday in Orlando, Fla.