The Course Report
Bay Hill
About Bay Hill
Par-5 scoring will be weighted at a premium, as Bay Hill and the Arnold Palmer Invitational bring us another tournament where players will struggle at times.
The course is highlighted by its length and by its nasty, thick rough which will give plenty of opportunity for bogey or…dare I curse your lineup or sportsbook picks…worse. For those expecting the scoring fest that we saw at the Sony and the AMEX, you’re just not going to get that type of golf here. This is a difficult course, and while The Players is often labeled as the 5th Major, I have a suspicion that the players themselves place that much emphasis on winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Some players thrive in this position, while plenty of others shy away from the challenge.
The first key component you need to measure is if distance is going to be your main component this week. Players that hit it far able to bomb and gauge this course, but we have seen success from players that lack massive distance as well thanks to mastering their accuracy off the tee and hitting the fairway. I have doubts that any of your short hitters can last for all four rounds, especially if the wind comes into play. Winners of this tournament Eagle a few of those par-5’s, and sometimes birdie just won’t due when there could be a potential double bogey on the card. Long story short. If you would consider them for a major championship, I would put that player in play here at Bay Hill.
Now just to make your sweats a little bit more concerning, the 18th often plays as the hardest hole on the course. A one stroke lead may not be enough to hold off anyone challenging for the lead on Sunday.
Take a trip to Datagolf and you’ll see that Bay Hill where course history is an important element. The course itself ranks 4th overall in course history relevancy, but this is probably due to its field, repeat golfers, and the feel of simply being as close to a major as you’re going to get.
Pay attention to the weather, as the wind is another defense that this course has. Players have loved the challenges that come with Bay Hill, but this course is a beast. Adding wind is going to make some of the pro’s look silly out there.
Now depending on how firm the course is allowed to get, do not be surprised to see players club down and let the rollout take care of the distance. This is a well-documented strategy if the course conditions allow. Also realize that if the course is set this way, greens are going to be very firm and very fast, giving those who hit the fairway an advantage.
Bay Hill
Architect: Dick Wilson and Joe Lee (1961), Arnold Palmer (2009)
Greens: Bermuda Grass Greens
Green Size: 7,500 sq. feet – Large Greens
Stimpmeter: 12-12.5 – Fast Green Speeds
Length: 7,466 yards- Par 72
Water Hazards: 8 in play
Bunkers: 84 Bunkers
Weather Forecast
Nuggets and Tidbits
- Matt Fitzpatrick compared this course to Shinnecock in terms of difficulty in 2020.
- This is Florida. Bermuda grass. Fast and firm Bermuda greens that are going to be tough to putt on this weekend.
- We’ve seen this next claim broken by players like Bryson, but missing fairways here is very penal.
- The par-5 16th is often one of the easiest par-5’s on Tour. If a player pars or worse on 16…let’s just say it is time to move onto next weekend.
- Palmer found Bay Hill while attending an exhibition tournament. Ironcially, the course and the locals appealed to his sense of self. The rest is history, and Bay Hill became a part of Palmer’s life and passion.
- Tiger Woods has 8 victories here.
Approach Shot Distribution
Past Winners
This tournament had insane scoring conditions, but Scheffler was determined to overcome anything that got in his his way.
His second win on the PGA Tour, and was only being chases by Billy Horschel. Scheffler dominated from tee to green and this outting set hi up well for a Masters win and his frist major during the dominant 2022.
This tournament will forever be highlighted by the moment DeChambeau drove over the water on No. 6 for a massive 377 yard drive.
Yet, the victory was not as easy as that drive may have looked. DeChambeau had a rough Sunday but did enough to outlast Woodland and Conners.
Hatton celebrated his first PGA Tour win by simply outlasting runner-up Marc Leishmen. The leaderboard, as always, was stacked. Yet, the odd thing was the score.
Hatton grinded thanks to brutal wind and won with a score of -4. Scoring was just simply impossible this weekend.
This was Molinari’s 3rd win in 12 starts, and finished 12 strokes under par.
Molinari entered Sunday 5-strokes back of the leader, and shot an incredibly 8-under 64 to capture the tournament championship. Moinari won this tournament with the putter as he gained nearly 4.5 strokes on the green on Sunday.
Rory’s finishing score of -18 was the second lowest in tournament history, and he was able to win for the 23rd time in his career.
Rory’s win was also the day that Arnold Palmer passed, as the winner spent much of his time honoring the all-time great with admiration.
It took a 3-man playoff, but Johnson beat Louis Ossthuizen and Marc Leishman by shooting a 15, 1 under in a four hole playoff.
Johnson was a surprise win as just the week before his prep came in Illinois at the John Deere Classic. This was Johnson’s second major win, and his first Claret Jug.
Entering with a six-stroke lead over the field, McIIroy went from dominant to just hanging on. Still, no golfer ever got withing two strokes the entire day, and he held his composure despite struggles off the tee and on the greens.
In winning, McIIroy became the seventh wire-to-wire winner in Open Championship history.
After winning the Scottish Open the week prior, Mickelson birdied four of the last six holes and became the Open Champion.
To this point, Phil had come close to winning, but had often doubted his abilites on links style courses.
Els began Sunday 6 shots back, but still clinched the vicotry after Adam Scott imploded.
Els’ 68 was a comeback of epic proportions when you consider the fact that Scott was still winning by 4 strokes on the 15th tee.