Arnold Palmer Invitational preview
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Rory McIlroy. Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
The second stop on the PGA Tour's annual jaunt through Florida gets underway today with the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Betting favorites: World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is the clear favorite at +550 ($10 bet would win $55) with Tommy Fleetwood (+1400), Bryson DeChambeau (+1600) and Xander Schauffele (+1800) next in line, per the Action Network.
How to watch: Golf Channel will carry live coverage today from 2–6 pm ET, with PGA Tour Live offering coverage all day (7 am–6 pm ET).
Feel-good story: At last year's Argentine Open, a fan with special needs inadvertently caused Brandon Matthews to miss a putt during a sudden-death playoff. The way Matthews compassionately responded to the fan was Arnold Palmer-like, according to Palmer's late family and tournament organizers, so they granted him a sponsor's exemption and added him to this week's field.
What's at stake: The winner will receive 500 FedEx Cup points and a $1.7 million cut of the $9.3 million purse.
Hole preview: The 18th (458-yard par-4) features one of the easiest tee shots on the course — and one of the toughest approach shots of the year. It's also seen its fair share of memorable moments.
- 1990: 21-year-old Robert Gamez switched from a 6-iron to a 7-iron and bounced a 176-foot eagle into the cup to beat Greg Norman by one stroke.
- 2008: Tiger Woods drained a 24-foot putt to capture his 64th Tour win, tying him with Ben Hogan.
- 2009: Woods dramatically won, once again.
