ORLANDO, Fla. — He didn’t miss a putt inside 15 feet. He watched good shots and answered with better ones. He ran off a string of birdies to pull away.

That’s how Tiger Woods won his last tournament.

This time, he was merely a bystander.

Justin Rose has been working hard on his putting since the U.S. Open last summer, and it paid off in a big way Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After struggling at the start in chilly, breezy conditions, Rose came to life with an eagle on the 16th hole, four straight birdies on his back nine and a 7-under 65 at Bay Hill.

That gave him a two-shot lead over John Huh.

Rose took only 25 putts,. Most impressive about his flat stick was this: He made six birdies and an eagle, and only one of those putts was inside 10 feet.