Davis Love III caused an eruption today in the Bay Hill Invitational, and it wasn't just with the 6-under 66 that pulled him into a share of the lead.

Disgusted by a buried lie in the bunker on No. 17 in which he did well to blast out 45 feet by the hole, Love broke a sprinkler head with his sand wedge that caused water to gush into the bunker and really turn it into a beach.

Then he struck paydirt.

Love holed the long par putt, then made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th to join Tim Herron at 9-under 135 going into the weekend.

"I just got frustrated and lost my patience," Love said. "Suffice to say that I'm embarrassed. I better win this week because Arnold Palmer might not invite me back."

With birdies on all of the par 5s, Love put himself in position to win Palmer's tournament, which would be long overdue.

He blew a chance to win Bay Hill in 1989 when he and Tom Kite double bogeyed the 72nd hole and Kite won in a playoff, and he finished two strokes behind Ben Crenshaw in 1992. A year ago, Love was in the final threesome for a 36-hole final with Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, which Els won handily.

"I'd love to win this tournament just because it's Arnold's tournament," Love said.

With more sunshine and little wind forecast for the weekend, the final 36 holes will be played over two days this time -- and the list of contenders runs much deeper.

Andrew Magee, feeding off confidence from his runner-up finish in the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, made two 40-foot putts in a round of 67 that left him one stroke behind at 136. Resurgent Tom Lehman got into contention for the first time since a shoulder injury with a 68 that put him at 137.

Among those within five shots of the lead are Vijay Singh and Lee Westwood at 139, and Colin Montgomerie, Payne Stewart and Justin Leonard at 140.

Els, in danger of missing the cut, had a 67 and was still in the hunt at 141, along with 1997 winner Phil Mickelson.

Woods will be around for the weekend, but only because of Matt Kuchar.

Woods shot a 72 for 2-over 146 that ordinarily would have been one stroke short of making the cut because he was tied for 71st. But Kuchar is an amateur, and the cut is for the top 70 "professionals," so everyone at 146 made it.

Small consolation for Woods, although he narrowly made the cut in San Diego last month before going 17-under on the weekend to win the Buick Invitational.

"It's not necessarily the streak of cuts that it's all about,'' Woods said, who has failed to qualify for weekend play just once in his professional career. "It's about giving yourself a chance to win tournaments."

That's what Lehman has in mind.

He hasn't gone into the weekend with much of a chance to win since injuring his left shoulder while horsing around with his kids at an amusement park on the eve of last year's Open. Lehman is playing only his second 72-hole tournament this year but is making up lost time quickly.

"You need to see your name in lights every once in a while and get the feeling of butterflies to get the edge back," said Lehman, winless on the PGA Tour since 1996. "I felt like if I was really competitive by The Players Championship then I would feel good about that. I think I'm one week ahead of schedule.''

Love is on pace to get fined for his outburst, which he fully expects.

The frustration had been mounting from the 13th hole, when he was one stroke out of the lead until hitting his approach into the bunker and blasting out of surprisingly shallow sand that caused the ball to scoot 15 feet by the hole.

Then on No. 17, a 4-iron wound up in deep sand that plugged so deep that the top of the ball was level with the sand.

"I've hit a lot of sprinkler heads in my day, and usually you do more damage to the back of your golf club than you do anything else," Love said. "But I'm sure those maintenance guys aren't really happy with me."

It's not the first time Love has created a gusher on the 17th. Several years ago, he hit a plugged lie so hard that he uncovered a plastic pipe. He dug more sand off the top and it burst open, filling the bunker with water -- just like today.

"Maybe tomorrow," Love said, "that bunker will be firmer."

DIVOTS: Arnold Palmer failed to qualify for the weekend at Bay Hill for the sixth straight year after rounds of 78 and 74. Palmer has said he will significantly cut back on tournament golf, although he has not decided whether this will be his last Bay Hill appearance. "I haven't really given it any thought. Should I?" ... Mark O'Meara missed the cut for the second straight year. He played the par 5s in 3-over and took double bogey on the 18th both rounds. ... Davis Love III went bass fishing with Mike Hulbert and Justin Leonard and caught one that weight 7 pounds, 10 ounces. ... How much respect does Palmer get? When his tee shot on the par-3 17th made a splash and he prepared to hit from the drop area, Bob Friend offered to make sure the ball was in the water -- and then ran 150 yards to the spot where it went in and signaled to Palmer it was out of play.