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ORLANDO, Fla. – Players would often ask one question upon arriving at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. “Is Mr. Palmer in his office?” A quick hello with the tournament host would soon turn into a half-hour filled with warm conversation and priceless advice. Those visits won’t happen this year, but players still traversed the staircase that sits a few feet from Bay Hill’s locker room. Not to visit a legend, but to honor him. Palmer’s office has been left virtually untouched since he passed away Sept. 26. Memorabilia still lines the shelves, and his leather chair sits behind the desk. One by one, players visited Palmer’s office to sign memorabilia for the tournament that bears his name. They sat in the same chair where he signed an inestimable number of autographs. More than $100,000 was spent per year on the postage for all the autograph requests he answered, and the congratulatory letters he sent to tournament winners. “When I walked on the grounds this week, there was obviously a huge void,” said Brandt Snedeker. “When I’d first get to Bay Hill every year, I’d go to his office and see Arnold. He always made two minutes for me to go in there and say hello, and inevitably it would turn into 20 minutes, talking about the golf course, what was going on in my life or what was going on in his life. It was always the highlight of my year, and that wasn’t here this year.” Palmer was omnipresent at the tournament that bears his name, touring the grounds in his golf cart to offer a handshake or perhaps a tip. Jason Day was early in his career when he met Palmer during a Monday practice round at Bay Hill. The pictures from that day hang in Day’s office. Rory McIlroy fondly recalls the dinner he had with Palmer after the first round of the 2015 tournament. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” McIlroy said. “So I’ll tell stories about that to my grandkids, hopefully, one day. He was a special man. Bay Hill’s a special place. It means a lot to us.  Palmer’s presence is still here this year, some six months after his passing. He has a spot on the range, his golf bag sitting under his trademark rainbow umbrella. A 13-foot statue was unveiled near the first tee. His golf cart will be parked behind the 16th tee. And, the golf course is in a condition that would make the tournament host proud. “When I came here, I always asked Arnie about the golf course,” Snedeker said. “This is the best I’ve ever seen it. It is perfect. It’s bittersweet in the sense that he’s not here to see it. Best it’s ever been in my 10 years being here. He would’ve been so proud.” On Wednesday, some 70 players hit honorary tee shots on Bay Hill’s range. Palmer’s grandson, Sam Saunders, hit the first shot. Day, the defending champion, hit the last. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of an emotional week for most guys out there, because we’re just so used to seeing Mr. Palmer drive around and see him in the clubhouse,” Day said. Players have Palmer’s umbrella logo embroidered in their clothing and on their bags, but there is another way they can honor him. “Do everything Arnie would do,” said William McGirt. “Sign every autograph, sign it legibly, try to do everything that he would do if he were here, whether it’s take pictures, sign autographs or smile at everybody,” he said. “Do everything Arnie would do.”

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