Power Rankings: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

Arnold Palmer possessed the talent and competitive streak to capture 62 victories on the PGA TOUR, seven of which were majors. But, and of course, he also was loaded with the kind of panache to cross over seamlessly into the mainstream. To zillions of people, it didn’t matter that he was a professional golfer. He just made you feel good.

It’s within that spirit – and it can’t be ruled out that it’s in the timeless twinkle of his smile – that he not only would welcome the 69-man field at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, but also, given its cozy size, he might even have encouraged everyone to go off the first tee all at once. Now that’d be some fun!

Beneath the projected contenders are details of the annual stop at Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, a peek at the weather and more.

The Arnold Palmer is the fourth Signature Event of 2024, so it concludes the first half of the series. Like its fellow legacy tournaments – The Genesis Invitational that preceded it and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday coming in three months – there is a 36-hole cut in the tournament. The low 50 and ties, as well as all golfers within 10 strokes of the lead at the midpoint, will be promised tee times in the third and final rounds.

Also aligned with the legacy events, the champion at Bay Hill will earn $4 million of a $20-million prize fund, a three-year PGA TOUR membership exemption and a spot in the next three editions of THE PLAYERS Championship. Like all Signature Events, he’ll also bank 700 FedExCup points.

Emerging on top of a quality field is the bonus to taming Bay Hill for four rounds. The stock par 72 stretches 7,466 yards and gives all takers everything they want. The tallest of the overseeded rough flanking fairways will be at least 3 inches high, but a wetter winter than normal has yielded lusher turf. Sizeable targets of about 7,500 square feet are required given that the non-overseeded bermudagrass putting surfaces could touch 13 feet or longer on Stimpmeter measurements.

Therein lies the challenge.

Greens that appear inviting rank inside the top-10 hardest to hit in regulation almost every year, so there’s an inverse relationship between the size and the ease to scoring opportunities. This elevates the importance of finding the shortest grass off tees. Where there’s letup, one must pounce, but it’s a constant tug-of-war, so much so that one might begin to wonder what exactly Palmer’s twinkle really meant! Certainly, it wasn’t sinister as much as it was, and forever shall be, sweet.

Mother Nature isn’t as subtle. After a couple of warm days during which Bay Hill will be allowed to present its best self, some energy will, well, present itself in the form of winds gusting 20-25 mph on Saturday. Daytime highs will drop into the 70s for Saturday as well as for Sunday’s finale, which also includes the greatest chance for inclement weather during the tournament, and winds might be just as fresh. Experience, patience and course management will be key.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

MONDAY: Points and Payouts (Cognizant); Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle; Power Rankings (Arnold Palmer)
TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico); Sleepers (Arnold Palmer)
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle

*Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.