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ORLANDO, Fla. – Matt Every has hit both ends of the scoring spectrum in the past 24 hours at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Every brought in a late round of 7-under 65 for the first-round lead but followed it up with a second-round 83.
Every’s round went south on Friday almost as soon as it started. He made a double-bogey on No. 4 on his way to a front-nine 40. Two more of those followed at Nos. 10 and 11 after making the turn and made his fourth and final double at No. 18. He sprinkled in four other bogeys and made just one birdie, at No. 16.
“Today was rough,” he said. “It was just tough. I really didn’t feel like I played that bad. I just didn’t make anything and then missed the fairway here and it’s – I just played bad. That’s what it is.”
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Every’s opening 65 is even more remarkable when you consider that it was a 20-shot improvement over a second-round 85 at last week’s second round at the Honda Classic. That round included three double-bogeys but also an 11 on the par-3 fifth.
After Friday’s round, Every struggled to put words to the difference that happened seemingly overnight.
“If I did, I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
Every, who referenced nagging back pain, planned to tee it up next week at TPC Sawgrass, which would make his third consecutive start. He was uncertain whether he’d take time off after that.
Every is a two-time champion at Bay Hill, having won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2014 and 2015. He lamented the state of his game for the past two weeks.
“It stinks for me because I really wanted to play well and I really didn’t see this coming, to be honest,” he said. “But it all happens. It just happens to me – it kind of happens to me quite a lot.”
Not since the 2013 Honda Classic has a first-round leader missed the cut (that was Camilo Villegas) but Every left himself dangerously close to falling into that unenviable category. He was at 4 over and two outside the projected cutline as the afternoon wave got started.
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