McIlroy and Lowry back in contention at Arnold Palmer

Kurt Kitayama leads the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the halfway stage, while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry played themselves back into contention on a day of testing conditions.

Gusts up to 25 miles per hour made for challenging conditions in Florida and first-round leader John Rahm suffered by carding a four-over 76, his highest score since the third round of the PGA Championship last May.

Rahm, among a group on three under, lies one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy who played himself back into contention after a difficult first day.

McIlroy followed up his opening 73 with a battling 69 that saw him birdie three of the four par fives.

Shane Lowry sits alongside MIlroy on -2 after he followed up his first round 72 with a 70. The highlight for Lowry came on the par-five fourth, when he bagged an impressive eagle.

Padraig Harrington match Lowry's round of 70 and the goes into the weekend a shot behind the Offaly man and McIlroy. Meanwhile Seamus Power was the right side of the cut despite a disappointing round of 74.

Power started strongly and rattled off three birdies in a row between the third and fifth holes but he struggled with the conditions at times and four bogeys and a double bogey saw just sneak into the weekend's action, finishing on +2.

Shot of the day belonged to Viktor Hovland, who also finished two under after a hole in one at the 183-yard seventh.

Hovland produced a perfect seven-iron for his fourth PGA Tour ace, and the 23rd in the 57-year history of the tournament.

Kitayama has never won on the PGA Tour, but the Californian surged to the top of the leaderboard on nine under with a 68 that included five birdies and a solitary blemish at the par five 16th.

The 30-year-old holds a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth, who