ORLANDO – A few weeks ago, Martin Trainer couldn’t have imagined he would be vying for an award with Arnold Palmer’s name on it. Then he won the Puerto Rico Open to become the third rookie with a victory so far this season, after Cameron Champ (Sanderson Farms Championship) and Adam Long (Desert Classic). And on Monday, Trainer, like everyone else, got an e-mail with the news that the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year award was being renamed the Arnold Palmer Award. “It’s pretty cool to have his name associated with it because he’s such a legend,â€� Trainer said as he took a break from his preparations for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. “I haven’t seen the trophy. How is it?â€� Answer: Like everything else Palmer, it’s pretty cool. Champ, Long and Trainer are among the 122 players at Bay Hill Club & Lodge gearing up to play one of the biggest tournaments of the season even as they process the Palmer legacy. The swagger. The cool factor. The 62 TOUR wins. And with Palmer’s name on the top-rookie award, he’s even more top-of-mind for those vying for the newly renamed honorific. “He won his final one where I won my first one,â€� Long said of their shared connection to the Desert Classic as he toured the Arnold Palmer Experience, a museum-like activation at Bay Hill. Long and Palmer are also linked by the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Long first attended the API as a fan when he was 11 or 12, and Palmer signed his hat. Aaron Wise, last year’s Rookie of the Year, also toured the Arnold Palmer Experience on Tuesday. So did Robert Gamez, who won the first Rookie of the Year award in 1990 after winning two tournaments, including what was then called the Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill. He checked out Palmer’s trophies and medals, watched some of his most famous shots. “I think it’s going to be a great thing for the award, and for the TOUR,â€� Gamez said. Fellow API competitors Daniel Berger (2015), Keegan Bradley (2011), Ernie Els (1994), Rickie Fowler (2010), Chesson Hadley (2014), Charles Howell III (2001), Marc Leishman (2009), Vijay Singh (1993) and Brandt Snedeker (2007) have also won the Palmer/ROY award. This season’s three rookie winners have all impressed in different ways. Champ, 23, has wowed with his booming drives and leads the list at 19th in the FedExCup. Long, 31, impressed even Phil Mickelson, one of his playing partners in the final round, as he coolly rolled in a 14-foot birdie to win the Desert Classic. He’s 24th in the FedExCup. Then there’s Trainer, 27, who is perhaps the streakiest player of the group. He has six missed cuts in 10 starts this season, but when he’s on, he makes it count. He won twice on the Web.com Tour last season, and his victory in Puerto Rico boosted him to 49th in the FedExCup. “It’s crossed my mind a few times,â€� Trainer said of the prospect of winning the Arnold Palmer Award for top rookie. “I have a chance. It’s going to be stiff competition, obviously, and there’s still a lot of time left. It’s one of those things; you don’t really focus on it, but it exists. It’s a huge honor, obviously. You go down in history, which is kind of cool for a rookie who’s just trying to get established and stay on the PGA TOUR and make a living.â€� Long sounded a similar refrain. The biggest perk of winning, he said, was simply job security. “My schedule was looking a little bleak there for a while,â€� he said. “I wasn’t sure what events I’d play in, but we’re going to have to reevaluate a little bit of the schedule and make some decisions. I have control over that now, which I didn’t have before. “THE PLAYERS is going to be outrageous,â€� Long continued, letting his mind wander ahead one week. “I can’t wait. I mean it’s one of the biggest events of the year. I mean, it’s huge. It’s gonna be—that’s gonna be insane. It’s so cool.â€� The whole world opening up before you? Yes. Very cool. Sort of like Arnold Palmer himself.
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