The Flyover: Arnold Palmer Invitational

THE OVERVIEW It will be easy to feel sad this week. This year’s edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard is the first since the tournament namesake passed away last September. His memory and spirit will be with all those at Bay Hill, but he won’t be around to shake hands, provide a thumb’s up or greet players as they walk off the 18th green. But the game of golf goes on, and players know that Arnie would want all involved to have a good time at his event. And so that’s the goal. “He probably would wish us all to be celebrating rather commiserating this week,” said Graeme McDowell, who was named one of the host committee members taking on the duties Palmer would normally handle during tournament week. “I think it will be a celebration – and hopefully some great golf played.” One of the other committee members is retired LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam. “It’s so wonderful to see that this week is more of a celebration, to celebrate what Mr. Palmer has done,” she said Wednesday. “I know you walk down there to the first tee, you see the statue, and of course a lot of memories come to our minds. Maybe a few tears, hopefully a lot of laughter because I know that’s what he was all about.” Rory McIlroy is making his third start at Bay Hill. He joked earlier this week that since he had never been in contention (although he did finish T-11 two years ago), he never finished late enough on Sunday to be greeted by Arnie after completing his final round. But he made a conscious effort to spend time with Arnie during his visits here. He’d like nothing more than to walk up the 18th fairway on Sunday as the leader. “It’s going to be different,” McIlroy said. “But I don’t think that should be a sad thing, necessarily. You look at the grand stands on 18 and you see all the colorful umbrellas, and there’s so much around here that reminds us of him. … “It should be a celebration of what has been a great life. … We will move on, but we’ll move on with him very much in our memories and it will still be a great tournament.” THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER His win here a year ago was the first of three in a six-start stretch. Could use a similar pick-me-up. Looking for a storybook result this week? Imagine how you’d feel to see Arnie’s grandson in contention on Sunday. Two of his four career wins have been in Florida, including a few weeks ago at PGA National. Arnold Palmer Invitational Comment Player Rank THE FLYOVER If you’re looking to make a move down the stretch, then it’s probably going to be at the 511-yard par-5 16th. Not only was it the easiest hole at Bay Hill last year, it was the only scorable hole in the final five holes (all the others ranked inside the top 5 toughest holes on the course). Check out the flyover video of the 16th. THE LANDING ZONE The 458-yard par-4 18th was the most difficult hole on the course last season, playing to a stroke average of 4.237. That made it the eighth-toughest closing hole on the PGA TOUR. Here’s a look at how all players landed their tee shots in 2016. WEATHER CHECK Mild – perhaps even a bit chilly – temperatures and no rain should make for a perfect week at Bay Hill. TEMPS: A warming trend begins Friday, with temps reaching the upper 70s before a dry cold front moves in. RAIN: None in the forecast. WINDS: Shouldn’t be a significant factor, although it could reach as much as 15 mph on Friday and Sunday. For the latest weather news from Orlando, Florida, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK He was out in a golf cart, had a pink T-shirt on, had a gray pair of slacks. Put his big massive mitt out at me and shook my hand and that was the first time I met Arnold Palmer. ODDS AND ENDS 1. GOING FOR IT. A year ago, Jason Day went for the green in two at Bay Hill’s par 5s a total of 15 times (out of 16 chances). That made him the most aggressive player in the field that week. Of those 15 times, he converted birdie or better 75 percent of the time – a big reason why he emerged as champion. 2. TOUGH OPENING. It’s difficult to get early-round momentum at Bay Hill. That’s because the first three holes are the most difficult opening three-hole stretch on the PGA TOUR. Since 2003, that stretched has played to 0.443 strokes above par. Waialae’s opening three holes are second on the list at 0.384. 3. BEWARE OF WATER. Of all the balls that find the water at Bay Hill, 21 percent of them are struck at the par-5 sixth. A total of 2,746 balls have been in the water at Bay Hill since 2003, and 589 of those shots were at the sixth. PREVIEW

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