Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Orlando, Florida
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NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Bay Hill Club & Lodge |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,466 |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | TifEagle Bermuda; 7,500 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13-plus feet. |
| Rough: | Overseeded ryegrass at FOUR inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 84/8/9 |
| Architect(s): | Dick Wilson (1961); Arnold Palmer (2009; 2016). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Russell Henley (-11). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Scheffler (2024, 2022). |
| Course Record: | 62; Adam Scott (2014, Bentgrass greens) is the only player to post this total since 1984. |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (post 2016 switch to TifEagle): | 270; Rory McIlroy (-18, 2018). |
| Fact of the Week: | The last 10 winners have produced seven champions 30 or younger. |
| Fact of the Week II: | The last five champions are from the USA. |
Hot weather will make the ball go far this week, but Bay Hill has played over par for the last NINE seasons, regardless of the composition of the field.
The TifEagle Bermuda greens, which have not been overseeded, will be the best and fastest on TOUR yet. Big greens are surrounded by big penalty areas, so don’t be surprised to see balls, especially from the rough, finding the safest tiers on the putting surfaces. Lag putting will be a recipe for success this week.
Notes:
- Field of 72.
- The second of three Legacy Signature Events, the API cut will be made after 36 holes. The top 50 and ties play the weekend.
- The OWGR is represented by 41 of the top 50, BUT 28 of the top 30.
- $20 million – $4 million – 700 FedExCup points.
Recent Winners
2026 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | No Event |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Chris Gotterup |
| The American Express | Scottie Scheffler |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Chris Gotterup (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Collin Morikawa |
| Cognizant Classic | Nico Echavarria |
2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (LIV) |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Aberg |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Brian Campbell (first time) |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley |
| Puerto Rico Open | Karl Vilips (first time) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Rory McIlroy |
| Valspar Championship | Viktor Hovland |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Min Woo Lee (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Brian Harman |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy (career grand slam) |
| RBC Heritage | Justin Thomas |
| Zurich Classic | Ben Griffin & Andrew Novak (first time winners) |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Scottie Scheffler |
| Truist Championship | Sepp Straka (2) |
| Mrytle Beach One Flight | Ryan Fox |
| 106th PGA Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Ben Griffin (2) |
| The 50th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Canadian Open | Ryan Fox (2) |
| 124th United States Open | J.J. Spaun |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Aldrich Potgieter (first time) |
| John Deere Classic | Brian Campbell (2) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Chris Gotterup |
| ISCO Championship | William Mouw (first time) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Barracuda Championship | Ryan Gerard (first time) |
| 3M Open | Kurt Kitayama |
| Wyndham Championship | Cameron Young (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Justin Rose |
| BMW Championship | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| The TOUR Championship | Tommy Fleetwood (first time) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Steven Fisk (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Michael Brennan (first time) |
| Baycurrent Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Ben Griffin (3) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Adam Schenk (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Sami Valimaki (first time) |
Recent Winners – Arnold Palmer Invitational
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2025 | Russell Henley (-11) | Followed T4 in 2024 with his fifth win on TOUR. Beat Morikawa by a shot in the final group. |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler (-15) | Second title in three years. Won by five shots. |
| 2023 | Kurt Kitayama (-9) | First debut winner since 1990. |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler (-5) | One of four players broke par in the final round. Course played No. 1 most difficult on TOUR in 2022. |
| 2021 | Bryson DeChambeau (-11) | First of five straight USA-USA-USA winners. |
Notables
- Adam Scott is the only player since 1985 to post 62 (2014) and is one of four to share the course record.
- Tiger Woods (not entered) has won this event eight times, the most in history. Scheffler is the only multiple winner in the 2026 field.
- The fairways are 30 yards wide, two yards wider on average than last week at PGA National and overseeded.
- None of the Par-5 holes plays longer than 590 yards.
- Since 2016, only Scheffler in 2024 ranked OUTSIDE the top SIX in Par-3 scoring. All four Par-3 holes extend 199 yards or longer.
- The last seven winners have ranked in the top 10 in Greens in Regulation.
- After adding TifEagle greens for 2016, nine of 10 winners have ranked in the top 15 in SG: Putting, and all were T21 or better. No weaknesses allowed in the bag this week!
LAST WEEK – Cognizant Classic
MY CHOICE: Daniel Berger – T32
Opening with 67, I was encouraged. After two middle rounds of 71-71, I was DISCOURAGED.
After watching Lowry capitulate in the final three holes with a three-shot lead, T32 is easier to stomach than losing $1 million in 30 minutes.
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Robert MacIntyre | T4 | 409,500 |
| The American Express | Ben Griffin | T24 | 81,420 |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T38 | 41,760 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Sahith Theegala | T18 | 122,720 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Patrick Cantlay | T14 | 342,500 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Tommy Fleetwood | T7 | 603,200 |
| Cognizant Classic | Daniel Berger | T32 | 54,816 |
THIS WEEK – Arnold Palmer Invitational
The third of eight Signature Events precedes the biggest payday in golf, THE PLAYERS Championship next week in Ponte Vedra Beach. This week and next will require a podium finish or victory to absorb the dog days of summer.
These are the events to release the hounds and shoot your shot with the biggest and the baddest available. Of the two events spread over the next two weeks, Bay Hill is the more “predictable” of the bunch. TPC Sawgrass, minus the recent McIlroy/Scheffler domination, has produced a cadre of winners, which appeared to be drawn out of a hat.
Also, there is a cut in both events, which SHOULD NOT bother the world’s best, but here we are.
Remember, LIV players, if that is your angle, return for the Masters, PGA Championship, and Open Championship.
MY CHOICE: Scottie Scheffler
Time to kick it into gear for the No. 1 player in the world.
No more farting around on Thursday.
No more Poa annua to piss him off.
The familiarity of Bermuda and two previous victories on a track he loves (nothing worse than T15 in five starts) is the recipe I am looking for this week.
I would not talk you out of playing McIlroy, but this comes down to preference, and I will ride the steadier of the two on a course where hazards do affect play.
I will also remind you that the Truist Championship returns to Quail Hollow Club in May. McIlroy has won that event, a Signature Event, approximately 49,390 times. See you in May, Rors!
Others to consider
Jake Knapp, Russell Henley, Tommy Fleetwood
Longshots
Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry, Ryan Fox
Horses for Courses
| Players | Top | Top | Scr | Bay Hill HFC Finishes/Notes |
| (cuts made/starts) | 10 | 25 | Avg | |
| Scottie Scheffler (5/5) | 3 | 5 | 70.60 | T15 is his worst payday; Only 2x winner playing. |
| Rory McIlroy (11/11) | 6 | 10 | 70.50 | 8 rounds of 66 or better; 2018 winner. |
| Tommy Fleetwood (7/9) | 3 | 5 | 71.91 | T11 2025; T3 2019 |
| Justin Rose (13/20) | 6 | 9 | 71.70 | T8 2025 followed 4 -> MC |
| Collin Morikawa (3/5) | 2 | 2 | 72.13 | 2nd 2025 after 2-> MC; T9 2020 |
| Chris Gotterup | First Appearance | |||
| Russell Henley (6/9) | 2 | 3 | 71.87 | 2025 winner followed T4; 5 –> |
| Robert MacIntyre (2/2) | 0 | 1 | 71.75 | T11, T36 L2Y |
| Xander Schauffele (4/4) | 0 | 2 | 72.63 | Best payday T24 2020 |
| JJ Spaun (4/5) | 0 | 0 | 73.11 | T31 2025 best |
| Ben Griffin (2/2) | 0 | 1 | 72.13 | T45-T14 L2Y |
| Hideki Matsuyama (10/11) | 1 | 6 | 71.86 | Only top 10 2016 (T6); T22-T12 L2Y |
| Sepp Straka (2/6) | 1 | 1 | 73.69 | T5 2025 with 1st Rd 77!!! |
| Justin Thomas (4/4) | 0 | 2 | 71.56 | T12 2024 best; T36 2025 |
| Harris English (9/13) | 2 | 5 | 72.30 | 6–> busted 2025; T2 2023, T9 2020 |
| Alex Noren (4/5) | 0 | 0 | 72.72 | T36 best; First visit since 2023 (T61) |
| Viktor Hovland (6/7) | 2 | 2 | 72.35 | 6–> busted 2025; T10 2023, T2 2022 |
| Keegan Bradley (13/14) | 5 | 6 | 71.50 | T11 or better 4 of last 5; cashed 13 straight |
| Jacob Bridgeman (1/1) | 0 | 1 | 71.25 | Closed 69-68 for T15 on debut 2025 |
| Cameron Young (3/4) | 1 | 2 | 72.50 | T10 2023; 82-71 MC 2025 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick (8/11) | 4 | 7 | 71.71 | T27 worst; 2nd 2019 first of 4 straight T10 |
| Ludvig Aberg (3/3) | 0 | 3 | 71.83 | T22-T25-T24 (a) L3Y |
| Maverick McNealy (3/5) | 0 | 0 | 73.75 | 73-80 MC 2025; T46 (a) 2016 best |
| Ryan Gerard | First Appearance | |||
| Si Woo Kim (6/10) | 0 | 1 | 73.19 | T19 2025 best; 4–> |
| Sam Burns (6/8) | 1 | 1 | 72.93 | T9 2022; T48, T30 L2Y |
| Kurt Kitayama (1/2) | 1 | 1 | 71.67 | MC-WIN; Nobody defends well first time anywhere |
| Patrick Cantlay (3/3) | 1 | 1 | 71.67 | T31, T36, and T4 L3Y |
| Shane Lowry (3/7) | 2 | 2 | 72.20 | 7th 2025, 3rd 2024; AWFUL before! |
| Min Woo Lee (1/4) | 0 | 0 | 75.30 | 73 or WORSE in 9 of 10 rounds |
| Jason Day (10/12) | 3 | 7 | 71.30 | 2016 winner; T8 2025, T10 2023 |
| Players | Top | Top | Scr | Bay Hill HFC Finishes/Notes |
| (cuts made/starts) | 10 | 25 | Avg | |
| Corey Conners (5/7) | 2 | 5 | 71.46 | 3rd ’25, 3rd ’21; T21 > last 5 |
| Akshay Bhatia (0/1) | 79-73 MC | |||
| Matt McCarty | First Appearance | |||
| Ryan Fox (1/1) | 0 | 1 | 71.00 | 71-67 to close T14 |
| Andrew Novak (1/1) | 0 | 0 | 72.50 | T34 debut 2025 included 65 Saturday |
| Jake Knapp (1/1) | 0 | 0 | 75.00 | T57 2025 debut |
| Sam Stevens (1/1) | 0 | 0 | 73.00 | T40 2025 debut |
| Pierceson Coody (1/1) | 0 | 1 | 71.00 | T14 2023 debut; 66 Saturday |
| Michael Kim (2/3) | 1 | 2 | 71.20 | 4th 2025; T17 2017 (a) |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | First Appearance | |||
| Adam Scott (11/15) | 2 | 4 | 71.81 | 3rd 2014; T36-MC last 2 |
| Brian Harman (6/12) | 0 | 4 | 72.58 | T40-T12 L2Y; T12 best |
| Nicolai Hojgaard (0/2) | 0 | 0 | 74.00 | 3 of 4 rounds > 71 |
| Nick Taylor (5/8) | 0 | 1 | 72.69 | T31-T12 last 2 best 2 |
| Harry Hall | First Appearance | |||
| Daniel Berger (2/3) | 0 | 2 | 71.20 | T15 2025; T13 2015 |
| Taylor Pendrith (1/3) | 0 | 0 | 74.75 | T42 2022 debut best |
| Ryo Hisatsune | First Appearance | |||
| JT Poston (3/5) | 0 | 0 | 74.38 | T50-T55 last 2 best 2 |
| Rickie Fowler (12/13) | 1 | 4 | 72.12 | Only top 10 2013; T31 best in last 4 |
| Sungjae Im (7/7) | 2 | 7 | 71.46 | T21 or better in all 7; 2 podiums |
Glass Houses 