'Send the caddie up': Jason Day's 'unfortunate' mishap
Australian golf star Jason Day has looked less a tour pro and more local birdwatcher as he borrowed a pair of binoculars to trace a wild shot that got stuck in a tree.
Day needed binoculars and the assistance of two cameramen to locate his ball, which he fired into a bird's next on the 16th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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Once the 33-year-old's ball was located he was allowed to take a drop and one-stroke penalty, despite the commentators' suggestions he send his caddie up to get it.
"Send the caddie up there, they've got to go climbing for it, help your player out," the commentators cracked.
Unfortunately, Day didn't see the funny side of it, ultimately copping a double-bogey for his efforts.
“I think the mama bird is going to come back and find another egg there,” Day said.
“It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Things went from bad to worse to finish the back nine, with Day dropping another double-bogey on the 18th before mounting a comeback on the front nine.
Three birdies on the front nine helped him recover to par at 72.
“It was more of a gut punch on 18 than 16,” he said.
“So to go double, par, double … but you just got to kind of go, OK, new nine, just relax, don’t do anything silly. So you just got to keep pushing along.”
After two rounds, Day is seven shots behind leader Corey Connors.
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Conners surged into the lead with a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole - his second eagle on that hole in two days - for a 3-under 69 and a one-shot advantage over former Bay Hill winner Martin Laird (67).
Ironically, it was on that same hole that brought one of Conners' potential challengers, Day, unstuck.
Rory McIlroy was poised to at least join Conners in the afternoon until he hit a couple of loose drives that cost him one shot when he could only pitch back to the fairway, leading to bogeys. He closed with five straight pars for a 71 that he figures could have been worse.
"It could have been the round that I could have shot 74 or 75. I got in with 71 and pretty happy with that," McIlroy said.
He was two shots behind, along with Viktor Hovland and Lanto Griffin, who each had a 68.
Jordan Spieth remained in the mix going into the weekend, which is becoming a regularity in the last month as he tries to end more than three years without winning.
Spieth hit a superb flop shot over the bunker to a fast green that rolled out to a foot to escape with par and a 69.
Conners was at 9-under 135, and now everyone braces for the weather.
With AAP
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