Rory McIlroy has finished 13th or better in 7 of his 8 appearances at Bay Hill.
We’re back at The King’s place for the second leg of the Florida swing.
The 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando is next up on the PGA Tour schedule, the third designated event in four weeks.
World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler is back to defend his title while No. 1 Jon Rahm is looking for his fourth win of 2023. Rory McIlroy, No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking and the same in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, has finished inside the top 13 at Bay Hill in seven of the last eight seasons including a win in 2018.
Overall, 23 of the game’s best 25 players will tee it up come Thursday.
A tee box on the range is reserved containing a golf bag and umbrella for Arnold Palmer during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Course history
Bay Hill Club & Lodge – Course History for the #APInv
Includes AVG finish position and SG per rd since 2015
Pros in the Arnold Palmer Invitational must survive what was in 2022 the most difficult set of par 3s on Tour, minus the majors.
Gary Woodland, winner of the 2019 U.S. Open, has some advice for players in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: Watch your step on the par 3s at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
In last year’s event Woodland arrived at the downhill, over-the-water par-3 17th on Sunday with a one-shot lead at 6 under par for the week, having just made eagle on the par-5 16th. One more good swing, one more good result, and Woodland would have a chance play the famed par-4 18th with a lead in pursuit of his first title at Bay Hill.
Things didn’t work out. Woodland’s 8-iron approach to the back-right hole location – a small target tucked between sand, water and rough – fell short of the green, clearing the pond but plugging into the front bunker. It took him two swipes to get out of the sand, and the ensuing double bogey left him a shot behind eventual winner Scottie Scheffler. A following bogey on 18 added salt to the wound, dropping him to a tie for fifth place.
It was a painful example of how tough the par 3s play at Bay Hill. The four holes – Nos. 2, 7, 14 and 17 – averaged the highest score over par among any set of pars 3s on the PGA Tour in the 2021-22 season in an official stroke-play individual event, not counting major championships. The Bay Hill quartet played to an average over-par score of 3.193 for the week, proving it’s not always the longest holes that trip up the best players in the world, but sometimes the shortest.
“Most of the time, the par 3s out here (on the PGA Tour), you’re trying to attack, trying to make some birdies,” Woodland said.
But not at Bay Hill.
“You really should play to the middle of the green on all four of them,” said the four-timePGA Tour winner. “… No. 2, when you’re trying to run away with par. No. 17, when you’re trying to run away with par.”
Gary Woodland took two shots to escape a buried lie in the bunker at the front of the 17th green in the final round of the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The worst part for Woodland last year? He struck his tee shot on No. 17 exactly as he planned toward a more generous area of the green left of the flag. He said he isn’t sure if his ball was hit by a gust of wind or what, but there was plenty of frustration in coming up short.
Woodland wasn’t the only player in contention to lose traction Sunday on the 17th. Viktor Hovland was 5 under par for the week – which would have earned him a spot in a playoff – when he walked up the hill from the 16th green to the 17th tee. Four shots later, he was one behind. The Norwegian spoke later about how much “this one stings” after that bogey on 17 knocked him into a tie for second place.
“It’s just a brutal hole,” Woodland said. “You know where that pin’s gonna be: back right. They move the tee up and they kind of tempt you a little bit.”
As so often is the case, temptation leads to folly. Especially on the par 3s at Bay Hill. The layout is famous for its closing par-4 18th, with its green wrapped around a pond. The par-5 sixth has gained notoriety in recent years as well, with ever-longer players attempting eye-popping tee shots across the lake around which the hole is wrapped. But smart pros know to be wary of the one-shotters.
Looking again at last year’s event, it’s clear how important the par 3s are for players packed atop a tight leaderboard. Winner Scheffler played the par 3s for the week in 48 shots, which was even par in 16 attempts. Woodland required 50 total shots, playing them in 2 over, and he finished two shots back in the end. Tyrrell Hatton, who also finished tied for second and one shot behind Scheffler, required 51 total strokes on the par 3s, playing them 3 over par for the week. And Hovland took 52 shots in all on the par 3s, playing them 4 over for the week. Each of those strokes mattered dearly on the final leaderboard.
That theme extended into the final round. Scheffler was 1 under on the par 3s Sunday, making birdie on No. 2 and parring the others. Hovland and Hatton were one shot worse, with both players even on the par 3s in the final round. Woodland played the pars 3s that day in 2 over par, with three pars and that double bogey on 17.
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Bay Hill Club and Lodge is poised to host next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and most of the best players in the world are destined for Orlando.
Defending champion and now World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler leads a stacked field that consists of 27 of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. World No. 1 Jon Rahm, fresh of his win at the Genesis Invitational, finished 17th last season in his first start at Bay Hill.
Rory McIlroy, No. 3, has had immense success at Bay Hill throughout his career. He’s finished 13th or better every season since 2017 (six starts).
Find the full fields for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open below.
Fields for the two tournaments on the PGA TOUR next week:
This week on the Twilight 9 podcast: Scottie Scheffler’s gutsy win, Rory McIlroy’s comments, and a look at the Players Championship.
People love to throw around the phrases “open the flood gates” and “once he gets that first win, watch out.” The same things were said about Scottie Scheffler after his first PGA Tour win at the WM Phoenix Open a few weeks ago. But after his performance at Bay Hill, the flood gates may be officially open.
Scheffler made gutsy par after gutsy par down the stretch at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and eventually slipped on the famous red cardigan with a winning score of 5 under. Yup, Bay Hill was a monster on the weekend. But, it was a challenge Scheffler faced head-on, and because of that, is now a two-time Tour winner.
This week on the Twilight 9 podcast, Andy and I dive into the week in Orlando and discuss comments Rory McIlroy made after Sunday’s final round about course set up and the games best maybe not returning to Arnie’s place.
We also discuss Andy’s experience playing in the Wednesday Pro-Am at Bay Hill and how nervous he was to hit his first tee shot in front of Jason Kokrak, his playing partner for the day.
Finally, we previewed the Players Championship including an overview of the stacked field, the golf course, the betting odds, who we’re keeping an eye on, and our favorite picks.
Andy recaps his Pro-Am experience: 3:00 Bay Hill’s setup: 16:10 The NBC telecast is the worst: 23:18 Betting odds: 39:50 Players Championship betting preview: 40:35
The 25-year-old Texan is riding an absolute heater early in 2022, with wins in two of his last three starts following his victory on Sunday at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler shot an even-par 72 in near-U.S. Open conditions to win by one over the trio of Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland and Billy Horschel.
For his efforts, Scheffler will take home the top prize of $2,160,000, while Hatton, Hovland and Horschel each earned a cool $908,000. Check out how much money each player earned this week below.
“It’s hard to keep your patience out there,” McIlroy said after another rough weekend at Bay Hill.
Most people count down the hours until the weekend arrives.
Unless they’re playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.
“I feel punch drunk, to be honest,” Rory McIlroy said after he wrapped up play on Sunday by signing for a 4-over-par 76. That was the same score he posted in Saturday’s third round when high winds arrived, the course became very firm, the rough remained nasty and the greens got glassy.
McIlroy, who won the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational with weekend rounds of 67-64, grabbed the first-round lead with a 65 and followed up with a 72. But then things sort of got out of hand – again.
“The weekend, it’s like crazy golf,” said McIlroy, who finished at 1 over and in a tie for 13th. The Northern Irishman wasn’t the only one to get beat up at Bay Hill; the field average in the final round was north of 75. And Scottie Scheffler won his second PGA Tour title, finishing at 5 under – the first single-digit winner on the PGA Tour since Jon Rahm won the 2021 U.S. Open.
“You just don’t get rewarded for good shots,” McIlroy continued. “Like I’m venting here, and I’m frustrated and whatever. I think, as well, the frustration is it’s a carbon copy of what’s happened the last three years here. I started off really, really well. Friday afternoon conditions got a little tougher.
“Then over the weekend it’s sort of been the same stuff.
“So three years in a row it’s sort of been start off, lead the golf tournament, then you just sort of regress and come back to the field each and every day. Yeah, it’s frustrating. It’s hard to keep your patience out there.”
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Next up for McIlroy and the game’s best players – The Players Championship on Pete Dye’s wicked Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Florida. McIlroy will try as hard as he can to get the Bay Hill weekend out of his mind.
“Sort of the way the conditions are, it makes you feel as if you’re not playing as good as you are,” he said. “Like I’m playing good. I’m hitting good shots. I’m swinging the club well. I’m chipping well. I’m putting well. But it can knock your confidence whenever the conditions are like this.
“I’m certainly playing better than shooting 8 over over the weekend. It’s just a matter of trying to regroup and forget about this week, and next week’s going to be a completely different test.
“I just need a day off tomorrow to forget about what’s happened this week.”
Everything you need to know for the final round from Bay Hill.
The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing continues this weekend in Orlando as a loaded field of the game’s best are at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Billy Horschel and Talor Gooch are tied for the lead after three rounds with Viktor Hovland a single stroke back heading into Sunday.
Horschel said there’s a ton of significance in playing at Bay Hill.
“I grew up an hour from here, came here as a kid, caddied in the Pro-Am multiple times. A lot of family and friend support around here,” Horschel said. “Then you add on Arnold Palmer’s name to it. It would be something very special that at the end of my career I could say that was a special victory.
“But I’ve got to do a really good job of controlling my emotions more and not getting ahead of myself.”
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the fourth round of the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. All times Eastern.
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Max Homa picked a fine time to sink his first ace on the PGA Tour. After a turbulent stretch that saw Homa post a double bogey, then a birdie, then a bogey, the three-time PGA Tour winner rolled in his tee shot on the 14th hole during Saturday’s third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
With a stiff breeze in his face, Homa stepped to the tee box with the stick 163 yards away and hit one that landed softly on the front of the green, rolled toward the flag and nestled into the cup.
The California native followed with a little dance and a smile before his caddie, Joe Greiner, came in for a hug.
The wild ride continued after 14 — Homa birdied No. 16 then posted bogeys on 17 and 18 to finish the day with a 73. He sits at 1 over for the tournament.
In honor of the ace, Mastercard will donate $200,000 to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Also, those who were watching in the Palmer Patio certainly were happy to see the ball roll in. The tournament’s chief sponsor will provide tournament fans who purchased tickets to that area on the 14th hole for Saturday’s round with two grounds passes to the 2023 event.
Although it’s Homa’s first hole-in-one on Tour, it was the sixth ace on No. 14 in tournament history, including two last season — one from Kris Ventura and another from Jazz Janewattananond.
Here’s a look at the hole via drone from our videographer, Gabe Gudgel:
“It’s going to be interesting to see where they go from here, but it’s going to be a good test over the weekend.”
ORLANDO – Rory McIlroy sauntered into scoring, let out a big breath and said, “I can’t wait to see what these greens are like on Sunday. Wooo!”
McIlroy sighed, not a sigh of a defeat, but of a man who had run out of patience after two bogeys in the final four holes left him shooting even-par 72 at Bay Hill Lodge and Club on a day when the greens became firm and glassy as the sun baked them extra crispy. Asked just how devilish the putting surfaces became compared to recent years when only 4 under won the title in 2020, McIlroy said, “It’s up there. I don’t think it’s maybe quite as devilish as the weekend the last couple years because the fairways are sort of soft. But the greens got – those are the sort of greens you expect to see late on a Sunday, not late on a Friday.”
One day after shooting to the top of the leaderboard with a 65, McIlroy didn’t feel as if he had played seven strokes worse. He opened with a bogey at the first hole, but bounced back with birdies at Nos. 4, 7 and 8, the latter of which he canned a 48-foot putt from the fringe.
“I said to Harry that because I was putting from the fringe that it was the first time that the putter stayed still behind the ball,” he said. “Those don’t go in all the time so we’ll take them whenever they do.”
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to a missed putt on the 13th green during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 04, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
That, however, turned out to be McIlroy’s final birdie of the round. He failed to take advantage of the par 5s on the back and took three putts from 30 feet at 15 for the first of two bogeys on the way to the clubhouse. (He would made another at 17.) McIlroy missed a four-foot comebacker, stopping to look at the line again after tapping in for bogey and chatting with caddie Harry Diamond about it on the way to the 16th tee.
“It was a putt where there was a little bit of right to left in it, but I knew, if I got it outside the hole and on the top edge and it skidded on me just ever so slightly and didn’t roll straight away, it could just stay up there,” McIlroy explained. “I sort of had it right edge, not giving the hole away, and it just broke a little bit more than I thought.”
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Despite missing a few putts on the high side, McIlroy said he enjoyed the challenge ahead of him of putting on fast, firm greens.
“The challenge of putting on them is a little different because it can get a little – it gets inconsistent. The ball skids sometimes on breaking putts and doesn’t take the break, and then it does roll pretty early and then it takes the break early,” he said. “So it sort of becomes a bit of a guessing game when they get this glassy. But it’s all part of the fun.”
McIlroy enters the weekend two strokes behind leader Viktor Hovland, who shot 66 on Friday to reach 9 under after the first 36 holes. McIlroy is part of a trio tied for second that includes 2020 API champion Tyrrell Hatton and Talor Gooch, who shot 68.
When told that Hovland had needed just 23 putts, McIlroy said, “See how he does tomorrow.”
What about Hatton taking 22?
“See how he does tomorrow,” McIlroy repeated with a wry grin.
“It’s going to be interesting to see where they go from here, but it’s going to be a good test over the weekend,” he said. “I’m glad I got 18 holes in those conditions because the course definitely changed a lot from when I played it yesterday morning to this afternoon. I be a little more prepared for it tomorrow.”
McIlroy sighed once more. “We’re going to be in for a wild ride.”
Everything you need to know for the third round from Bay Hill.
The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing continues this weekend outside Orlando as a loaded field of the game’s best are at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rising star Viktor Hovland is in the lead after the first 36 holes at 9 under, two shots clear of the trio of 2020 champion Tyrrell Hatton, 2018 champion Rory McIlroy and Talor Gooch.
“I just saw the lines really well and able to start it online,” said Hovland, who needed just 23 putts to maneuver The King’s place on Friday. “Sometimes when you see a couple go in early, it’s easy to keep that feel going throughout the day.”
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. All times Eastern.
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.
