The PGA TOUR continues the Florida Swing this week, moving about 180 miles from Palm Beach to Orlando. Bay Hill Club & Lodge will host the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) this week, where many of the top PGA TOUR golfers will return to action after a few weeks off. Since this is a Signature Event, it’s a limited field and featurs a large purse. Here is a quick look at the history of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the course it will be played on this week.
The history of the event
The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been held in March on this course dating back to 1979. It was the successor to the Florida Citrus Open Invitational which was held nearby. Since Bob Byman won the “Bay Hill Citrus Classic” that first year, the event has had six different names. It has been known as the Arnold Palmer Invitational since 2007.
Throughout it’s history, it has drawn a great field and the list of winners is a “Who’s Who” of PGA TOUR victors. Tiger Woods won the event eight times, Rory won here in 2018, and Bryson DeChambeau claimed the win in 2021. Current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has won the event in two of the last three years and is the defending champion this year after winning by five strokes last year over Wyndham Clark.
This week’s tournament is the fourth Signature Event of the PGA TOUR season. As a result, it has a limited field of 72 players. However, since it is one of three invitationals, there is a cut line after Round 2. The top 50 players and ties along with any player within 20 shots of the lead will get the chance to play the weekend. It’s the same cut rules that apply to The Genesis Invitational and the Memorial Tournament.
As a Signature Event, the purse is an impressive $20 million with the winner claiming $4 million and 700 FedExCup points. In addition, the winner claims a The Red Cardigan Sweater, which has been given to the winner since 2017 when Palmer passed away. It’s not quite a green jacket, for sure, but it definitey is one of golf’s most iconic prizes and makes for a memorable photo op on the 18th green.
A closer look at the course
The course this week is a par-72 that is typical of a classical Florida-style golf course. It is a long course that typically plays difficult relative to par as a result of thick rough, firm fast greens, and plenty of sand traps and water hazards. The course features Bermuda grass fairways and greens. Depending on the conditions and especially the wind, this track can be among the toughest in the regular PGA TOUR rotation.
The course demands good work off the tee, long-iron accuracy and plenty of course knowledge and scrambling ability. It’s not typically a birdiefest, and sometimes the winners’ scores barely reach double-digits under par. With a scoring average of 1.2 shots over par the last five years, the course ranks as the second-toughest annual spot.
Here’s a full flyover from last year’s event:
The water hazards at Bay Hill are really what makes it difficult. This course has the highest percentage of penalty strokes on the PGA TOUR over the past five years, even higher than the other difficult layouts famous for their water. The keys to success at Bay Hill are accuracy, scrambling, getting yourself into the right spots, playing the proper angles, and avoiding disaster.
Of the 18 holes, 12 have a scoring average over par. Of the six holes that play under-par, four are par 5s, so being aggressive and getting under par on those Par 5s will be critical.
As you make your picks for this week for DraftKings DFS contests or on DraftKings Sportsbook, here are some of the top stats to consider: Strokes Gained: Approach, Total Driving, Par 5 Scoring, Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermuda) and course history.
