SAN ANTONIO – Jimmy Walker won his hometown Texas Open on Sunday to become the first two-time winner this season on the PGA Tour, beating fellow Texan Jordan Spieth by four strokes.

Walker closed with a 2-under 70 to finish at 11-under 277 at TPC San Antonio, a 35-minute drive from his home. The 36-year-old former Baylor player won the Sony Open in Hawaii by nine shots in January and has a tour-best five victories in the past two seasons.

Spieth also finished with a 70, making four late birdies in a row. The 21-year-old Dallas player was coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook.

Walker and Spieth will move to career highs in the world ranking, with Spieth going from sixth to fourth and Walker from 13th to 10th.

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel was third at 4 under after a 71.

Daniel Summerhays, second last year behind Steven Bowditch, tied for fourth with Chesson Hadley at 3 under. Summerhays closed with a 69, and Hadley had a 71.

Doral winner Dustin Johnson shot his second straight 68 to match Ryan Palmer at 2 under. Palmer also had a 68.

Phil Mickelson, looking for some momentum heading to the Masters, closed with a 76 to drop into a tie for 30th at 4 over.

Ten players finished under par, with the Oaks Course playing the toughest on the PGA Tour this season with a 74.581 stroke average – more than two shots over par. The previous high was PGA National’s Champion course at 1.832 over par for the Honda Classic.

Marc Warren and Harris English failed to crack the top 50 in the world ranking, which would have given them spots in the Masters. Warren, 52nd, needed to finish ahead of Brendan Todd to get in, but closed with a 70 to finish 35th. English, 53rd, needed at least a top 10. His final-round 72 only got him to 30th.

SAN ANTONIO – Jimmy Walker opened a four-stroke lead over fellow Texan Jordan Spieth, shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday in his hometown Texas Open.

Walker, who lives 35 minutes away from TPC San Antonio, is looking for his fifth title in two tour seasons. He had a 9-under 207 total after opening with rounds of 71 and 67.

“It’s a tough golf course,” said Walker, the winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. “I thought coming into today that even par or maybe 1 under would be a good score. You definitely want to find a way to extend the lead, but you have to be smart about it.”

Spieth shot a 71. The 21-year-old Dallas player, coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook, had a double bogey, two bogeys and two birdies on the final six holes.

“It’s not ideal – I really look for more consistency,” Spieth said.

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel birdied the final three holes for a 69 to get to 3 under.

“I wanted to give myself some opportunities coming in,” Horschel said. “It was a nice one to get at 16 – it was blowing downwind and that green has been pretty firm all week. And they had the tees moved up at 17 and 18, just straight downwind today.”

Five players were seven back of Walker at 2 under. Zach Johnson birdied the last two holes for a 72, Chesson Hadley had a 71, tour rookie Scott Pinckney shot 69, 2011 champion Brendan Steele had a 72, and Jason Kokrak finished with a 71.

Phil Mickelson was even par after a 74. He had a near double-eagle on the 14th hole.

Tied making the turn, Walker broke away from Spieth with a two-shot swing on the par-5 14th and extended when Spieth hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th into more trouble well right of the grandstand.

Both players have long-established roots in Texas. Spieth played on the Texas Longhorns’ national champion team in 2012, and Walker was an All-American at Baylor.

“Jordan and I played the first two days out here and we had a lot of people,” Walker said. “We’ll probably have even more people tomorrow. It should be fun.”

Playing in the group ahead at No. 14, Spieth left a long bunker shot in the sand and failed to make a 13-footer once he got on the green.

Walker planted a wedge shot a foot away from the cup and made birdie.

Spieth got a shot back with an 8-foot birdie putt at 15, then hit a tee shot on the 191-yard 16th that ended up about 40 yards right of the green. He took two chips and lipped out a 4-footer en route to a double bogey.

“I’m going to have to hit the ball better than I did today,” Spieth said. “A couple of tough breaks on the back nine. All in all, I was playing a really solid round of golf, minus a couple of decisions and a couple of swings.”

Spieth bounced back to birdie the short par-4 17th.

Walker also birdied 17 after hitting a short pitch to 7 feet away. He capped his round with a 9-foot birdie putt on 18.

Mickelson had all sorts of short-game troubles while shooting a front-nine 40.

That included two shots from the fringe leading to a double bogey at No. 4, taking four shots to find the hole and bogeying after driving into a greenside bunker at the short par-4 fifth, missing a 3-foot par putt at the seventh and missing a green in regulation while blasting from a greenside bunker at the par-5 eighth.

He also missed birdie putts of 8 feet at Nos. 2 and 6.

He nearly holed out for double-eagle from 258 yards on the par-5 14th. His eagle put him back in red figures, but he bogeyed 16.

SAN ANTONIO – Jimmy Walker shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in the Texas Open to take a one-stroke lead in his hometown event.

After a 35-minute drive from his suburban home, Walker enjoyed a neighborly stroll at TPC San Antonio to reach 6-under 138. He won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January after winning three times last season.

Walker overtook first-round leader Charley Hoffman with three straight birdies late in his round.

Hoffman, 8 under at the turn, uncharacteristically let a good round get away on the Oaks Course with three bogeys on his second nine. He finished with a 72 to drop into a tie for second with Aaron Baddeley.

Hoffman has two top-three finishes in his previous four appearances at the Texas Open.

Baddeley had a 71.

Kevin Na, who infamously took 16 strokes on a par 4 in the event four years ago, had a 68 to join Texan Jordan Spieth at 4 under. The 21-year Spieth, coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook, followed his opening 71 with a 69.

The gusts near 40 mph that blew Thursday morning continued to subside, though play started Friday with temperatures in the 40s.

The improved conditions packed the leaderboard with nine players within four strokes of Walker. That included Phil Mickelson, continuing to cram for the Masters less than two weeks off, at 2 under after a second-round 72. He was tied for sixth.

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel (70), Zach Johnson (71), Chris Kirk (71) and 2011 winner Brendan Steele (68) also were 2 under.

Johnson felt a jarring sensation in his right ring finger when he hit a rock while swinging from the native area to the right of the 12th fairway. He continued and expects to play this weekend.

Francisco Molinari, the former European Ryder Cup player, withdrew before the round because of a wrist injury he said happened while shooting 81 in the wind Thursday.

Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson managed to survive for the weekend as the cut dropped a stroke in the afternoon to 6 over. Both made it on the number, and Furyk kept a streak of consecutive cuts made, now at 33. Steve Stricker, not playing this week, has the best active streak at 35.

Martin Kaymer wasn’t close. After shooting his PGA Tour-worst 82 on Thursday, he had an 80 on Friday. The U.S. Open champion told officials in Houston he has changed his plans not to play next week and has committed to the Shell Houston Open to get ready for the Masters.

Marc Warren and Harris English made the cut in their bids to earn Masters spots by getting into the top 50 in the world.

Warren is No. 52, and his 4-over total had him three shots out of a top-20 finish that could push him to Augusta. English, 53rd, needs something in the top 10, and he was five shots from that at 3 over.

Walker jumped to the lead with a hot putter. Combining his three birdies from his 15th, 16th and 17th holes, Walker made almost 40 feet worth of putts.

Mickelson got it to 4 under after hitting to 3 feet on the 174-yard third hole – his 12th of the day – and chipping in on No. 4.

But had a double bogey two holes later with a tee shot that put him thick in the trees to the left on the par 4, followed by a shot out of the woods across the fairway. He was still 54 yards away, and he left that approach short of the green and couldn’t get up-and-down to save bogey.

The three Canadians in the field, Adam Hadwin (83-69–152), David Hearn (81-76–157) and Graham Delaet (82-77–159) all failed to advance to weekend play.

SAN ANTONIO – Charley Hoffman took advantage of calmer afternoon conditions to take the first-round lead in the wind-swept Texas Open, shooting a 5-under 67 on Thursday.

After wind gusts threatening 40 mph pummeled the morning starters, Hoffman faced steady 15 mph wind in the afternoon at TPC San Antonio. He had the lone bogey-free round, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 9, 11 and 17.

The winner last year in Mexico at the start of the wraparound season, Hoffman has eight top-10 finishes in nine appearances in San Antonio. He was second in 2011 and third in 2013.

“I don’t know the answer to (the success here),” Hoffman said. “Visually, the course sets up nice for me off the tee. It was just a pretty low-stress round for me.”

Aaron Baddeley was second after a 68. The Australian had a remarkable birdie on the par-4 17th when he snap-hooked his drive deep into thick woods, went back to the tee and holed out from 336 yards.

“That was crazy,” Baddeley said. “I hit it, started walking, and the crowd starts going nuts. So, I’m `Wait. I just made birdie.’ It rolls up and goes in.”

Max Homa had a 69, and Phil Mickelson and Ryan Palmer shot 70.

Mickelson, winless since the 2013 British Open, lost the clubhead off his 8-iron when it came flying off while he hit from a fairway bunker on the 12th hole.

“That was weird,” Mickelson said. “But I thought it was playable out there, for the conditions. It’s nice, selfishly, to be on the good end of the tee times in the afternoon. It really looked tough for the guys in the morning.”

With gusts reaching 38 mph early in the day, no one with a morning tee time managed to break par. Only Matt Kuchar and Cameron Percy matched it, and conditions might have been worse if not for maintenance crews slithering hoses onto some of the greens to water them down.

The stroke average for the morning wave was 78.61 and the overall average was 75.9.

From the 69 players in the morning, 23 failed to break 80. Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson managed to keep it in the 70s, but they had their struggles with the wind.

Furyk opened his day with a 52-foot birdie putt, but he shot 76. Johnson had a 78, his worst since shooting a first-round 80 before withdrawing last year from the Houston Open.

U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer had a two triple bogeys in an 82.

Defending champion Steven Bowditch opened with an 80.

Sam Burns, an 18-year-old high school senior from Sherevport, Louisiana, who earned a spot in the field by winning the Junior PGA Championship last summer, carded an 89 with a quadruple bogey at No. 9.

Hoffman took the lead when he drove near the collar of the 17th green, chipped up and made a 6-footer for birdie.

“I got lucky that when it was blowing hard, my first four holes were downwind,” Hoffman said. “I was able to birdie a couple of them. The wind started to die down a little bit at No. 5, and I felt comfortable.”

Graeme McDowell was one of three players from the morning wave who withdrew while shooting high numbers, citing injuries. McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, said his left ankle and foot were bothering him when he pulled out after a 5-over 41 on his first nine. Sang Moon Bae (back) was 6 over through seven, and Colt Knost (thumb) had it at 9 over through eight with a quadruple bogey at No. 3.

Canadians David Hearn, Graham DeLaet and Adam Hadwin opened with rounds of 81, 82 and 83, respectively.

When we last saw Tiger Woods he was fleeing from a golf tournament in mid-round, mumbling something about improper activation of his glutes.

He’s been missing in action for some time now, desperately searching for some of the magic he once took for granted. Woods blamed the glutes, but the truth is that his game is in such a deep, dark place that he’s embarrassed to even tee off in public places.

The Masters begins in two weeks, and it’s not a place someone who seems to be struggling with the yips while chipping wants to make a comeback. If Woods does play at Augusta National, bookies in Las Vegas who for nearly two decades have made him the odds-on favorite are giving 50-1 odds he won’t leave the place with a fifth green jacket.

He’s got another new swing coach and a vague plan to regain his mojo by returning to the ways of his youth. But he needs more – much more.

Tigerwoods.com has always been the place he voices his thoughts. Now maybe it’s the place he can find his game.

If only he would listen to his own fans.

“Tiger, stop trying to be perfect,” someone identified as Jati wrote on the site. “Perfection is a myth. Nobody can achieve perfection, why go after it and waste enormous amount of time and energy?”

“Your confidence coupled with your huge successes has impacted on your general well being,” writes Kevin Frankie. “But I say this…you can get it ALL back plus some. Just get your game on a more natural level not unlike your wonderful years of sheer sublime brilliance.”

” I can help you with your mental game,” LL writes. “If you want to talk, I promise you I won’t (waste) your time and do not want your money. I just want to see you back at the top of golf. This is not a scam I’ve been doing this successfully for over 20 yrs.”

Who knows, it might be as simple as a trip to the produce section of the local Piggly Wiggly.

“Tiger, hang in there,” says Dana Bergerstock. “I just had a total knee replacement, and I had to start over from square one. They tell me it will come around like a fine wine. I started eating grapes to start the progression. It’s working! Eat some grapes during your next round. It might be mental, but it’s working for me.”

Or try this, courtesy of Brett McHaney:

“Tiger, take the change out of your right pocket and put it in your left pocket. Tie your left shoe in a double knot. Turn your hat around and put this tee behind your left ear,” he writes. “I look like a fool. Yea. Now take this little white ball and hit it down the fairway. Tiger, go out have some fun and get out of your own way.”

Someone called Anonymous Pro says he can help Woods on the chipping that embarrassed him in his season debut in Phoenix, saying all he needs to do is keep his wrists hinged.

Or maybe it’s more basic than that.

“I think you have forgotten the child like quality to chipping,” writes Roc. “Did you think about anything when you were 21 when chipping? No technical thoughts. Not sure why you would change something that was so pure but I’m just a hacker talking. Walk up and hit it.”

Some think it’s not Tiger’s fault at all. Circumstances have been out of his control.

“In 2010, you entered a VERRY challenging astrological period indicating very serious challenges,” jrcsamad writes. “The beginning of this period corresponds to the start of your difficulties, which we needn’t discuss here. There can be periods of respite in this period which lasts until 2020. The good news is that there are technologies of consciousness that can help to decrease the obstacles coming from past actions (karma) indicated in this period.”

There’s plenty of support for Woods among the 1,739 comments, though some seem to be growing impatient with their hero, who hasn’t won a major in seven years.

“Tiger ya baby get out there and play,” says someone with the screen name Love Tiger Woods. “You have turned into a spoiled rich kid.”

Mostly, though, they simply want the Tiger of old back.

“Where are you Mr. Woods?” asks Jared. “Where are the Sundays when you walked onto the course and commanded respect and inflicted fear in the souls of everyone who dare tee it up with you? Where are your laser focused eyes that never deviate from the task at hand? Where is that unwavering confidence that can never be shaken or broken? Where is that killer instinct that none of these kids are going to take my destiny from me?”

So far at least, it’s nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the Masters is just two weeks away.

SAN ANTONIO – Jordan Spieth has a couple of home games before the Masters.

“I enjoy being able to drive my own car to these tournaments,” said Spieth, the 21-year Texan who lives in suburban Dallas. “I get to see a lot of friends and family who I don’t get to see a lot of the year. And then, at the same time, get ready for the Masters on a challenging track.”

He will open play Thursday in the Texas Open and also is playing next week in the Houston Open.

“As a native Texan, I always like playing the Texas events,” Spieth said. “This event, in particular, gave me an exemption when I was in college. … So, it’s a tournament that has helped launch my career and one that is close to my heart. I like being back here.”

Spieth is coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook. He tied for second behind Bubba Watson last year in the Masters and won the Australian Open and Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in consecutive weeks late last year.

At Innisbrook, Spieth beat Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair with a 30-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole.

“I really felt like it was coming,” said Spieth, a career-best sixth in the world ranking. “Just patient enough to pull it off. Nice to close it out on a made putt.”

Spieth was 10th last year at TPC San Antonio.

“He’s a superstar,” defending champion Steven Bowditch said. “He’s strong in every aspect of his game and will be a force to be reckoned with for the next 20-odd years. You break down his golf swing and you see he’s one best out here with his clubface control.”

Bowditch won his first PGA Tour title last year. The Australian closed with a 4-over 76 in windy conditions for a one-stroke victory.

Phil Mickelson is in the field along with Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, area resident Jimmy Walker and Matt Every.

The Canadian contingent Graham Delaet, David Hearn and Adam Hadwin.

Mickelson is winless since the 2013 British Open.

Johnson is coming off victory March 8 at Doral in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. He played the course for the first time Wednesday.

“The golf course is great,” Johnson said. “It’s in really good shape. I like the course. I think it’s fairly tough. I think it will be a good week.”

Every successfully defended his Arnold Palmer Invitational title Sunday. He made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Henrik Stenson.

The top 50 in the world ranking after the tournament will earn spots in the Masters.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Rory McIlroy’s road to the Masters was memorable for reasons not many would have imagined.

He missed the cut at the Honda Classic. He was missing a club at the Cadillac Championship when he flung his 3-iron into a lake. And his highlight at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was eating a banana split after dinner with the King.

“He went into it like it was the last supper,” Palmer said.

It wasn’t pretty, but there was no reason for McIlroy to panic.

He finished off the Florida swing with two birdies on the last three holes for a 2-under 70, eight shots behind Matt Every at Bay Hill. He tied for ninth at Doral, though he was still eight shots behind Dustin Johnson and never really featured on the weekend.

In 10 rounds over three tournaments, he broke 70 only once.

Before heading home to South Florida for two weeks of work before the Masters, he was asked if he should be the favorite at Augusta National.

“Given how I’ve been playing, I guess if you go on form, then probably no,” McIlroy said. “But it depends how far you take that for back, and you’ve got to look at previous results there and all sorts of stuff.”

There was no right way to answer the question, so he made an artful escape by adding, “I’m not a bookie.”

But he is the favorite.

And there will be loads of pressure on McIlroy. The opportunity is too great.

Not since Lee Trevino in 1991 has a player gone to the Masters with a chance to complete the Grand Slam. Trevino never cared for Augusta National, never seriously contended there and besides, he was 51. McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round in 2011 and shot 80.

He knows he can play there. He’s only 25. And he’s No. 1 in the world.

Beyond the Grand Slam, he can join Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan as the only players with three straight majors since the Masters began in 1934. Those opportunities don’t come along very often, which is why Woods points to the 2000 PGA Championship (his third straight major) as his most clutch putting performance.

The good news for McIlroy is the buildup to the Masters is over – at least for now.

The first three months of the year were all about Augusta National, and the hype wasn’t quite as strong as it could have been. He was asked about it a fair amount, though not enough to consume him. Either way, he was prepared for it.

“I was expecting to get a lot of questions,” he said. “It’s a big deal what I’m trying to achieve over there.”

It’s difficult to measure progress over five tournaments spread across two months, though his win in Dubai and runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi should not be overlooked.

McIlroy said the best golf he was playing going into the Masters was in 2011. He didn’t win in five events leading to the Augusta, with a runner-up in Abu Dhabi and a tie for 10th in Dubai and Doral. By that measure, this year has been slightly better.

There was a glimpse of impatience early in the Florida swing, particularly at Doral when he had trouble trusting the difficult shots, such as the pull with a 3-iron into the lake, and the club that soon followed the ball into the water. McIlroy managed to turn that into a light-hearted moment. Donald Trump managed to turn that into a three-day news event. And then it was time to move on.

The real culprit has been his wedges and irons. He’s simply not hitting it very close for a reasonable chance at making birdie putts. In a tiny sample size, but McIlroy’s average proximity from 125 yards to 150 yards was 30 feet in the Florida swing, or about 10 feet farther away than his 2014 average on the PGA Tour.

The good news for McIlroy is no one is talking about a slump. And there’s something to be said about not peaking too early.

Woods was going for an unprecedented sweep of the majors in 2001 and there were suggestions of a slump. He went six tournaments without winning (though he was never worse than a tie for 13th). The Masters was approaching. The pressure was building.

And then Woods won Bay Hill, The Players Championship and the Masters. It’s all about peaking at the right time.

The Masters starts in 17 days.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Matt Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second straight year, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to beat Henrik Stenson and earn another trip back to the Masters.

Every rallied from a four-shot deficit last year for his first career victory. This one was even sweeter. He came from three shots behind Sunday with a 6-under 66, and he had to make the biggest putt of his career to get that handshake with the tournament host.

“The one on 18, straight downhill,” Every said. “That’s what you want under pressure.”

Stenson closed with a 70 and extended a curious streak on the PGA Tour. It was the ninth straight tournament in which a 54-hole leader failed to win, and the Swede let this one get away.

He regained the lead with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes as Morgan Hoffmann began to fade, and Stenson had a one-shot lead with four holes to play. But he three-putted from 45 feet on the 15th, and three-putted again for par from 40 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th.

Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Stenson was wide left on a 20-foot putt at the 18th.

Every finished at 19-under 269 and became the first player since Payne Stewart in 1987 to win at Bay Hill with all four rounds in the 60s.

A year ago, Every missed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole and had to wait a nervous 10 minutes to see if anyone could catch him. This time, he had no room for error. With a confident swing that held up all week, he drilled his drive down the left side of the fairway and hit his approach above the hole to set up his birdie.

He joined Tiger Woods and Loren Roberts as the only players to repeat at Arnie’s place. Woods won four in a row, and back-to-back on two other occasions. Roberts, like Every, won his first two PGA Tour titles at Bay Hill.

Matt Jones birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 to finish alone in third.

Hoffmann had a two-shot lead after a birdie on the eighth hole, but it was a struggle the rest of the way. Stenson caught him on the 11th, and Hoffmann made bogey on his next two holes to fall three shots behind. He hit his tee shot out-of-bounds into a backyard on the 18th hole for a double bogey and a 71 to finish fourth.

Rory McIlroy, in his final tournament before he goes for his third straight major and the career Grand Slam at the Masters, closed with a 70 and tied for 11th. The world’s No. 1 player had only one round in the 60s in his three events on the Florida swing.

“The main goal was to come here and try to win,” said McIlroy, who played Bay Hill for the first time. “Couldn’t do that. At least I got a couple of things out of this week, which is good.”

Zach Johnson holed a 5-iron from 207 yards on the par-5 16th for the second albatross in two days, after no one had made a 2 on a par 5 since Bay Hill began in 1979.

Every left Bay Hill a year ago believing he could win the Masters on his first try. He missed the cut and had only one top 10 the rest of the year. But he changed coaches in the fall and began working with Sean Foley to tighten up areas in his game.

Now he heads to Augusta with more confidence, and believes he has a swing that will get him in these positions more often.

Sam Saunders, the 27-year-old grandson of Palmer, closed with a 73 and tied for 29th.

The top Canadian was Canada’s Nick Taylor. The Abbotsford, B.C. native was 6-under (76-65-70-71) and tied for 35th.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. was a shot back at 5-under (69-73-69-72). He tied for 43rd.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Henrik Stenson of Sweden finished with another flourish at Bay Hill on Saturday and seized control of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It was the second straight day that Stenson played the final four holes in 4-under par. Two shots behind, he made a 12-foot birdie on the 15th hole, a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th and finished with a pitching wedge that plopped down 2 feet from the 18th hole for a 6-under 66.

That gave Stenson a two-shot lead over Morgan Hoffmann, who stumbled on the front nine, recovered with three birdies in four holes and then stalled at the end for a 71.

Stenson, the No. 3 player in the world, was at 16-under 200.

“It’s a new day tomorrow, so whatever has happened these first three days has put me in a nice position,” Stenson said. “But it’s got to be done all over tomorrow.”

Six players are separated by three shots going into Sunday’s final round, a group that includes defending champion Matt Every.

Rory McIlroy looked as though he would be among them. The world’s No. 1 player pulled to within one shot of the lead with his fourth birdie of the round on the 13th hole. But he ran off three straight bogeys, missing a par putt from just inside 3 feet on No. 15 and chopping up the par-5 16th hole. McIlroy effectively gave up two shots to the field on the 16th, where only one other player failed to make par or better.

McIlroy missed the cut in the Honda Classic and finished eight shots behind at Doral. Asked if Bay Hill counted as being in contention, he replied, “Not anymore.”

“I guess if I can get off to the fast start tomorrow … maybe I will have a chance,” he said. “It would have been nicer to be a little closer to the lead going into tomorrow.”

A two-shot lead can disappear quickly, especially on the back nine. Even so, Stenson has been steady during his three stops on the Florida swing. He tied for fourth at Doral, and missed the three-man playoff at Innisbrook by one shot last week.

Hoffmann regained the lead with back-to-back birdies early on the back nine, but his tee shot rolled up to the lip of a bunker on par-5 16th and he was one of only two players in the third round who had to lay up short of the creek. Hoffmann had to settle for pars, though he was still in the final group with Stenson.

Every had a 69 and was in the group at 13-under 203 that included Jason Kokrak (65), Matt Jones (67) and Las Vegas winner Ben Martin (68). Jones birdied his last four holes, including a 75-foot putt across the green at the par-3 17th.

Hoffmann had a chance to limit the number of contenders if he had posted a better score. The scoring average was low again because of slow, receptive greens this week. But he kept getting funny lies in the fairway, mud on his ball and a few breaks that didn’t go his way.

But he still has a chance, as do so many others, especially considering the most recent trend on the PGA Tour. In the last eight tournaments (including the Puerto Rico Open), the winner came from behind in the final round.

Sean O’Hair, who was in the playoff at Innisbrook last week, had a 68 and was five shots behind. The group six shots back included Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who matched the low score of the third round with a 65. Harris English, No. 52 in the world as he tries to get into the Masters, hit two balls in the water on the front nine and battled back with four birdies over his last four holes for a 72.

Daniel Berger made the first albatross at Bay Hill, hitting 4-iron from 237 yards into the hole for a 2 on the par-5 sixth hole.

And still on the fringe of contention was Sam Saunders, the 27-year-old grandson of Palmer, who shot 67 to join the group at 8-under 208.

Canadians David Hearn (69-73-69) and Nick Taylor (76-65-70) each have a share of 39th at 5-under 211.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Equipped with his first PGA Tour lead in 67 starts, Morgan Hoffmann played Friday like he wanted to keep it in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Hoffman made birdies on half of his holes for a 7-under 65, giving him a three-shot lead over Henrik Stenson, Harris English and defending champion Matt Every going into the weekend on soft and defenseless Bay Hill.

Stenson, English and Every each had a 66.

Rory McIlroy also got into the mix – finally – by making five straight birdies on his back nine for a 66, his first sub-70 score in three PGA Tour events this year. He was five shots behind and headed in the right direction in his final start before the Masters.

Bay Hill has greens that are so stressed that they will be replaced this summer. They are slow and receptive, a recipe for low scoring, and it shows.

Hoffmann was at 13-under 131, one short of the 36-hole record at Bay Hill. The cut was at 142, matching the lowest score to make the cut in 27 years at Bay Hill. It was the first time the cut was under par, but only because the tournament changed par to 70 (instead of 72) in 2008.

“I’m trying to birdie every hole out there, so it was good,” Hoffmann said. “Just hitting great putts and good shots into the greens really helps. It’s nice to hit some greens for a change. This year hasn’t been that great, and it’s a good change.”

The 25-year-old from Oklahoma State made six birdies on the front nine, including four in a row, and he finished with a 6-iron out of the rough and over the water – the ball landed just four paces onto the green – for a par that kept him in control.

Hoffmann came into the week at No. 158 in the “strokes gained” statistic from tee-to-green. He leads the field at Bay Hill.

Next up is how well he holds up on the weekend.

Stenson, who has finished fourth in his two Florida events already, birdied his last four holes for a 30 on the back nine. He will be playing in the penultimate group with English, who is No. 52 in the world just outside qualifying for the Masters.

“Got to keep the pedal down and keep aggressive,” English said.

He is coming off a top 10 at Innisbrook in which he closed with a 65, which moved him up eight spots in the ranking.

McIlroy had dinner with Palmer on Thursday night and was treading water Friday morning until an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 second hold got him going. He birdied the next four holes, though he lost some momentum at the end with a bogey on No. 8 and a scrambling par on his final hole.

“It would be nice to finish the round off a little better, but still a good score and sets me up well for the weekend,” McIlroy said. “I think each and every day I’m feeling a little more comfortable, especially on the greens. Obviously, we played in the morning so we got the best of the greens, and it’s easier to trust the lines you pick for yourself. But happy with how I putted today, and putt like that over the weekend, I’ll have a chance.”

A lot of that depends on Hoffmann, who is coming off a pair of 12-hour range sessions this weekend to try to rely on a slight fade.

Every has only one top 10 since he won at Bay Hill a year ago, and he has not finished in the top 25 in his last 17 tournaments. But he is confident he is headed in the right direction with his swing, and it showed for two days. He ran off four straight birdies at the end of his round for a 66 and was at 134.

“I’m really excited to play golf because I know I have good stuff coming really, really soon,” Every said. “And I said before, you can lie to yourself. I’ve done it before all the time where I think I can win at the start of weeks. It’s like probably how Rory feels every week.”

McIlroy, playing in Palmer’s tournament for the first time, had dinner with the King on Thursday night after his opening round (and a drug test). They chatted more about commercial possibilities and old-time golf stories than McIlroy’s bid to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam.

Palmer also insisted the 25-year-old McIlroy have a banana split.

“I’ll be going to the gym this afternoon,” McIlroy said. “It was fantastic, it really was. He’s telling stories of the old days and talking about a few of the things he’s done more from a commercial standpoint, the drink and golf courses and all this sort of stuff – stuff that I could potentially be getting into in the future.”

He said Palmer also told him how close he was to his father.

“It was just great to be in his presence, and great to be in his company, and I had a good time,” McIlroy said.

Canada’s Nick Taylor fared well Friday, carding a blazing 7-under par 65 to jump 67 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 40th at 3-under.

David Hearn carded a 73 and shared 55th spot at 2-under 142.  Graham DeLaet was even at 144 and missed the cut.