Graeme McDowell goes low at Bay Hill with impressive 9-under 63

Graeme McDowell has never been a fan of the Arnold Plamer Invitational. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy seeing "The King" and spending time at Bay Hill, but one look at his track record at the tournament tells you everything you need to know.

McDowell has been, shall we say, a little off in his three stars -- missing the cut twice and finishing T-40.

History and local knowledge can certainly give any player an advantage, but Graeme McDowell showed us on Friday that you don't need to have a lot of success at a place to get into contention. One year after the U.S. Open champ fired 80-73 to miss the cut, McDowell went low on Friday at Bay Hill, putting together a stellar 9-under 63 that included an eagle on the par-5 16th and some of the best iron shots we've seen from G-Mac in a long, long time.

He was automatic from tee-to-green, only missing two fairways and one green to go along with 28 putts. It was also the second time in the last month that McDowell fired 63 or better.

The stretch has been nice, but McDowell's been playing this way since last year's HSBC Champions event in November and now has 3 top 10 finishes in three of his last five starts.

That's a considerable difference from this exact same time last season when he missed six cuts in a 12 tournament span. But McDowell finally seems to be playing with a confidence not seen since his incredible 2010 when he won the Open, holed the winning putt at the Ryder Cup, and took out Tiger Woods at his own event.

He's still a ways off from replicating that special year, but at least after two rounds at Bay Hill, his game is headed in the right direction. That's all you can ask for with the first major of the year on the horizon.