Leaderboard: Arnold Palmer Invitational

KAPALUA, Hawaii — Winless last year for the first time in his young career, Collin Morikawa is playing as though he wants to put that behind him quickly. Morikawa was dialed in with his irons early and took advantage of some of the scoring holes late in his second round Friday for a 7-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He was at 16-under 130 and without a bogey over two rounds on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler had a good laugh on the first tee with U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and then ran off nine birdies in his round of 66, leaving him two shots behind along with Kapalua newcomer J.J. Spaun (68). Scheffler can return to No. 1 in the world this week with a two-way tie for third at better, with Rory McIlroy choosing to sit out this week. Jordan Spieth had two eagles — one a 7-iron that came inches away from an albatross on the par-5 fifth hole — and had a 66. He was three shots behind. Morikawa ordinarily wouldn’t be at Kapalua for the winners-only start to the year. But in this new year of trying to bring together the top players more often, the PGA TOUR expanded the field from exclusively winners in 2022 to include those who reached the FedExCup finale at East Lake. Morikawa shared the 18-hole lead by running off six straight birdies to start the back nine. On a gorgeous Friday afternoon on Maui with a little more wind, he did most of his damage early. It started with a 20-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, followed by short irons to 3 feet and 8 feet. From there, everyone else did well to keep pace. Scheffler was introduced on the first tee with a mention of all four of his wins last year, from the Waste Management Phoenix Open to the Masters. Next up was Fitzpatrick, who beat Scheffler by one shot at Brookline. He was introduced as the U.S. Open champion. “You don’t have that one,” Fitzpatrick said as they laughed. Scoring remained low enough that only two players were over par — Billy Horschel (71) and Chad Ramey (76) were 2 over. Morikawa had a chance to tie the 36-hole scoring record that Cameron Smith set last year at 17-under 129. He was just off the front of the 18th green when he muffed his chip and saw it run out to only 30 feet, and his long birdie putt banged off the lip. No matter. He was still in the lead, his first time with at least a share of the 36-hole lead since the U.S. Open last summer. Missing from Kapalua is Xander Schauffele, the No. 6 player in the world who withdraw after eight holes because of an ailing back. Schauffele said he was headed home to Las Vegas to figure out what’s going on.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR and FanDuel Sportsbook agreed today on a multi-year content and marketing relationship designating FanDuel an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR. By joining the TOUR's Official Betting Operator program, FanDuel will have rights in the United States to use PGA TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing FanDuel to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to users who have placed bets. Additionally, the PGA TOUR and FanDuel will collaborate to deliver odds-based content to fans via TOUR Digital Platforms like PGATOUR.COM and the PGA TOUR app. "We have long admired FanDuel's brand, product and marketing strategies as well as the leadership position it has taken since the legalization of sports betting in 2018," said Norb Gambuzza, SVP, Media and Gaming at the PGA TOUR. "We are excited to bring FanDuel into the PGA TOUR's Official Betting Operator program as we continue to engage new fans in this rapidly growing space." FanDuel Sportsbook has seen substantial growth in golf gaming: • Golf has recorded the highest single event handle on FanDuel Sportsbook over nine of the last 12 Sundays. • FanDuel Sportsbook's total golf handle in New Jersey in 2020 already has surpassed the total golf handle from 2019, even without [13] weeks of PGA TOUR competitions during the shutdown. "Golf interest is up on FanDuel, so we are excited to deepen our relationship with the PGA TOUR," said Mike Raffensperger, CMO FanDuel Group. "We will now be able to offer unique gaming experiences on our platform, special TOUR related promotions for our customers and an enhanced content experience across the TOUR's properties to really prove to bettors across the nation that there are More Ways to Win at FanDuel." Following the Supreme Court's decision that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, the TOUR instituted an integrity program in collaboration with Genius Sports to protect its competitions from betting-related corruption. Later that year, the TOUR announced a global partnership with IMG ARENA to license its official, live scoring data to betting operators all over the world. The PGA TOUR is a Platinum Member of the National Council on Problem Gambling, committed to industry-leading responsible gaming practices

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