Tiger Woods shoots 65, leads at Bay Hill

Tiger Woods had one of his most consistent rounds of the year Friday with a seven-under-par 65 at Bay Hill to take the lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after two rounds.

Woods had seven birdies and no bogeys on the par-72 course, and at the time he finished at 10 under, he had a one-stroke lead over Jason Dufner and Grahame McDowell.

“I putted well today,” he said in an interview on Golf Channel just after the round. “I didn’t feel I hit the ball that well ... but I played smart all day.”

Woods has won this tournament six times and has built a career on being a front-runner.

He also said that his recovery from a strained Achilles’ tendon is going well. “There’s no swelling.... Everything’s good.”

That may be music to the ears of television networks and tournament sponsors; perhaps not the thing Woods’ competitors want to hear.

The Masters, which Woods has won four times, begins April 5. Woods has not won at Augusta since 2005.

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Tiger Woods shoots 65, leads at Bay Hill