This week is the last leg of the Florida Swing on the PGA Tour and we finish it with the ‘Arnold Palmer Invitational’ at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.
The event was founded in 1979 and before that it had several different name changes since it began in 1966 when it was known as the ‘Florida Citrus Open Invitational’ and was played at the Rio Pinar Golf Club which is also situated in Florida. Arnold Palmer has owned Bay Hill since 1974 however the tournament was first played under his name in 2007. In the 1966 Inaugural event Lionel Herbert beat the Legend Jack Nicklaus by 2 shots. Arnold Palmer has also won this event and that was in 1971, eight years before he became the host.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of only 5 tournaments given Invitational status by the PGA Tour. The other 4 are The Heritage, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Memorial Tournament and AT&T National. Invitational events have smaller fields which are usually between 120-132 players.
The field this week consists of 10 past winners which includes Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Martin Laird and of course Tiger Woods. Tiger has won this event on 6 occasions which also includes 4 straight victories from 2000-2003!! Can he make it number 7 this week? He pulled out of the WGC-Cadillac Championship 2 weeks ago with an Achilles injury and some people are wondering if he has healed properly however you know what they say about ‘Watching out for a wounded Tiger’!!
Tiger has had many memorable moments at Bay Hill in past years which include his 2008 victory which saw him sink a 25 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to beat Bart Bryant by 1 shot. He was at it again in 2009 when he again birdied the 72nd hole to beat Sean O’Hair by 1 shot and claim his 6th victory in the tournament.
We also have 9 current 2012 winners teeing it up along with 15 Major winners and players representing 16 other countries. All eyes will be on Bay Hill this week.
The course is Par 72, 7419 yard with 103 bunkers and water coming into play on 9 of the 18 holes. The Purse is $US6M with the winner taking home $US1,080,000. The Pros rank Bay Hill as one of the most challenging and enjoyable courses on the tour. Unlike a lot of the courses on tour where it becomes a birdie-fest, Bay Hill is one of those courses that will require patience and plotting to make your way around all 18 holes. Just ask John Daly who in 1998 hit 6 balls into the water on the 6th hole during his last round to score an 18!!
Looking at the PGA Tour web site you will find some interesting stats to back this up. Last year the course had the 2nd highest scoring average from the 21 Par 72 courses played on the tour other than non-majors. The four Par 3’s ranked as the most difficult on tour while the Par 4’s were ranked 3rd hardest and the Par 5’s also ranked highly as the 12th. These stats alone should make for some very enjoyable golf viewing over the 4 days.
This week it is all about ball striking and hitting those greens. Looking back at the past winners you will notice that they all ranked highly in Greens in Regulation stats. If you get lost in the Bermuda rough it makes it almost impossible to shoot for the green.
Patience is paramount this week. As mentioned earlier it is vital to play your shots well and maintain those Pars as they are just as important as the birdies this week. It will require a steady head and poise.
Not many rookies or first times fair well at Bay Hill so look for players who have had good experience on the course and know how to plot their way around here. Experience will get you a long way at Bay Hill. Just look at the list of past winners and you will see what I mean.
Taking all this into consideration I have managed to find the following two players who should fit the bill this week.
Sergio Garcia:
When it comes to Bay Hill experience Sergio has it in buck loads. He has made ten appearances here for 6 Top 10 finishes. Most recent was a T8th last year. Sergio started the season well on the European Tour with a 12th Abu Dhabi Championship and followed that up with a 5th Qatar Masters. From there he headed over to the PGA Tour where he started with a T4th Northern Trust, then played in the two WGC events for a T33rd Accenture Match Play and T60th Cadillac Championship. Last week he was a very credible T16th in the Transitions Championship where he was ranked 5th in Greens in Regulation. His putting has also improved this season where he is currently ranked 5th in Strokes gained Putting. He enjoys difficult courses and Bay Hill seems to suit him well. I expect big things from Sergio this week and he represents good each way value.
Odds: $23.00 Sportsbet Australia
Ernie Els:
The Big Easy won this event in 2010 and has a vast amount of experience at Bay Hill. His current season form has been very good. Much like Sergio, Ernie started out the season the European Tour with a 2nd Volvo Golf Championships before heading to the PGA Tour. He started out in the Farmers Insurance Open for a T52nd then followed up with a T59th Northern Trust. He was then T17th WGC Accenture match play, T21st Honda Classic and a T5th last week in the Transistions Championship where he had four great rounds and missed out on the play-off by 1 shot. He finished the event ranked equal 1st in Greens in Regulation. His current 2012 stats also rank him 32nd Ball Striking, 21st Scoring average and 32nd GIR’s. I expect Ernie to rise to the occasion this week after going so close last week. And at the odds he represents excellent value.
Odds: $41.00 Sportsbet Australia
Last Week:
Former World Number One Luke Donald won a 4 person play off with a birdie on the first hole to claim victory at the Transitions Championship. He saw off Jim Furyk, Sang-Moon Bae and Robert Garrigus to claim his 5th PGA Tour career victory. Our selections of Bo Van Pelt (9th) and Webb Simpson (T10th) played some great golf however it wasn’t enough to push them higher up the leaderboard.
Next Week:
We leave Florida next week and head to Texas for the Shell Houston Open at the Redstone GC Tournament Course where Phil Mickelson is the Defending Champion.
