Staying in the Sunshine State, the PGA Tour heads north from Palm Beach to Orlando for the 58th edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, the second stop on its four-event Florida Swing.
As the season’s fourth “elevated” event, and final tune up before next week’s PLAYERS Championship, the Arnold Palmer will feature a stout field, featuring a slew of top-ranked tour players, headlined by world PGA Tour Nos. 1 and 2 in Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, respectively.
Other marquee names include Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris, among others.
As we do each week, let’s take a look at the history, field, stats and other factoids as we prepare for what should be an exciting week of PGA Tour golf in Orlando.
The Skinny
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Dates:Â Mar 2-5, 2023
PGA Tour Debut: 1966
PGA TOUR Week: 18th (of 43)
Course:Â Bay Hill
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Distance: Par 72/7454 yards
Architect: Dick Wilson, Joe Lee (1961)
Field: 120 players
Format: Stroke, 72-holes
Cut: 36 holes
Purse: $20,000,000
Winning Share: $3,600,000
FedExCup Pts: 550
OWGR Pts: 67
2022 Champion:Â Scottie Scheffler
How to Follow the Arnold Palmer Invitational
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 2-6 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GOLF), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat: 1-6 p.m.; Sun: 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM)
All times Eastern
LINKS: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
API History
The tournament that is now the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard started in 1966 as the Florida Citrus Open Invitational. The inaugural event was won by Lionel Hebert, who posted a 5-under par 279 and edged Charles Coody, Dick Lytle and a 26-year old Jack Nicklaus by two strokes.
Hebert took home a check for $21,000, exactly $18 less than what six players earned ($21,018) for finishing tied for 57th place at last year’s Arnold Palmer.
While the Arnold Palmer name has only titled the tournament since 2007, the event has been held at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, also known as “Arnie’s Place,” since 1979.
Since that time (1979), the tournament has had a number of different title sponsors and names, most of them including “Bay Hill.” The longest of those sponsors has been Mastercard, which has held the presenting slot since 2004, first as the Bay Hill Invitational (2004-2006), and then as the Arnold Palmer Invitational (2007-present).
Early tournament winners, alongside Hebert, included legends such as Julius Boros (1967), Palmer himself (1971), Lee Trevino (1975), Hale Irwin (1976), and Tom Kite (1982).
Modern day winners have included the likes of Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and eight-time champ Tiger Woods.
The API is one of three invitationals attached to three PGA Tour icons: Arnold Palmer (API), Jack Nicklaus (the Memorial) and Tiger Woods (Genesis).
History: Tournament Titles
- Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard (2007-Present)
- Bay Hill Invitational Presented by Mastercard (2004-2006)
- Bay Hill Invitational Presented by Cooper Tires (1999-2003)
- Bay Hill Invitational Presented by Office Depot (1996-98)
- Nestle Invitational (1989-95)
- Hertz Bay Hill Classic (1985-88)
- Bay Hill Classic (1980-84)
- Bay Hill Citrus Classic (1979)
- Florida Citrus Open (1972-78)
- Florida Citrus Invitational (1970-71)
- Florida Citrus Open Invitational (1966-69)
History: Recent Winner
2022: Scottie Scheffler (-5)
2021: Bryson DeChambeau (-11)
2020: Tyrrell Hatton (-4)
2019: Francesco Molinari (-12)
2018: Rory McIlroy (-18)
2017: Marc Leishman (-11)
2016: Jason Day (-17)
History: Records
SCORING
264 (-20) Payne Stewart, 1987
-23 (265) Buddy Allin, 1973
WINS:
8 – Tiger Woods (2000-03, 2008-09, 2012-13)
The Vault: API 2022
Scottie Scheffler enjoyed winning so much at the WM Phoenix Open three weeks ago that he couldn’t wait to experience it again.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old University of Texas product won his second season title, which also happened to be his second career title, shooting an even-par 72 to vault himself out front on a difficult track, which was enough to reach 5-under par and claim a one-stroke victory at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scheffler, who had been considered the best player in the world without a PGA Tour title when he won in TPC Scottsdale early last month, got into the mix at extremely difficult Bay Hill, and took his second title in three starts.
He began the final day in Orlando two strokes behind Billy Horschel and Talor Gooch, and despite bogeys on Nos. 1 and 3, he was able to stay in the thick of it amid brutal course conditions, with everyone around him falling fast. Read more…
Final Top 5
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Scottie Scheffler -5 (E)
2. Tyrrell Hatton -4 (-3)
2. Viktor Hovland -4 (+2)
2. Billy Horschel -4 (+3)
5. Gary Woodland -3 (+1)
5. Chris Kirk -3 (E)
The API Field
The Arnold Palmer Invitational features 43 of the tour’s top-50 ranked players, including No. 1 Jon Rahm and No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion.
Rory McIlroy (3), Patrick Cantlay (4), Xander Schaffele (6), Will Zalatoris (7), Max Homa (8), Justin Thomas (9), and Collin Morikawa (10) are the other top-10 ranked stars.
Additional marquee draws, ranked inside the top-25, include Viktor Hovland (11), Tony Finau (12), Matthew Fitzpatrick (No. 13), Jordan Spieth (17) and Shane Lowry (19), among others.
Former API winners in the field include the aforementioned Scheffler (2022) and McIlroy (2018), alongside Tyrrell Hatton (2020), Francesco Molinari (2019) and Jason Day (2016).
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Rank-Player-Odds
1. Jon Rahm (7-1)
2. Rory McIlroy (9-1)
3. Scottie Scheffler (10-1)
4. Will Zalatoris (16-1)
5. Collin Morikawa (20-1)
5. Max Homa (20-1)
Full Field: Odds To Win
Bay Hill Club & Lodge | Orlando, FL | Mar 2-5, 2023
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
Joel Cook contributed to this preview.
