Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview
One of the most iconic tournaments in golf outside of the four majors is taking place this weekend at the beautiful Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida. This is, of course, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. If you are a golf fan, there are endless storylines and reasons to watch this weekend. Let’s start with the course, Bay Hill. This course has been the host to countless memorable moments over the years, many of which include Tiger Woods, who has had a staggering eight victories at Bay Hill. However, similar to last week’s host course, PGA National, Bay Hill is famous for the extreme difficulty that it presents to the game’s best players. Bay Hill’s reputation is earned by its thick and unforgiving rough, which puts a massive emphasis on hitting the fairway off the tee, as well as the firm conditions on and around the greens. The firm greens make it a significant challenge for even the top players to stop the ball where they want to. Luckily for the field, there was rain at Bay Hill early this week, which could soften their playing conditions a bit more than they have been in recent years.
Speaking of the field, this weekend’s field of players is loaded. Nine of the top 10 players in the world will be playing in this year’s tournament. The star power will be on display right from the start, with five marquee groups of players playing together during Thursday’s opening round. Here are the five key groups to watch for on Thursday:
2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns
Viktor Hovland and Rickie Fowler
Max Homa and defending champion Kurt Kitayama
Jordan Speith and Xander Schauffele
Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa
While this tournament obviously has no shortage of star power, be on the lookout for an emerging star to be in contention this weekend. In just the first two months of the PGA Tour season, winners of events have included Austin Eckroat (last week), Chris Kirk, Nick Dunlap, and Nick Taylor, among others. The next emerging star may be waiting in the wings this weekend at Bay Hill, and there is no telling who it could be, but that is the beauty of golf. Every tournament is up for grabs, and that is why people come back to watch every week. Regardless of who emerges over the next couple of days, the extreme challenge of Bay Hill, the top-end talent in the field, and the iconic figure of Arnold Palmer will most definitely make for a weekend of must-see TV.
