There are a "few notable absences from the field" at this week's PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational, but golfer Graeme McDowell "doesn't believe the motives of those individuals should be called into question," according to Will Gray of GOLFCHANNEL.com. McDowell, who was selected as one of the hosts for the tourney, said, "I really feel like this year was always going to be a good field, and it is a good field. Obviously there are guys who are not here, and they may be unfairly criticized for that. I really have been a firm believer in that guys will remember and respect Arnold in their own way, and being here or not being here this week has really, to me, no bearing on that." Gray noted this week's field is "still one of the strongest in recent tournament history, with four of the top five players in the world competing." McDowell "cited the tournament's current position amid a particularly hectic part of the Tour's schedule as a contributing factor, with the WGC-Dell Match Play a week away and the Masters only two weeks after that" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 3/14).
SHOULD ALL TOP PLAYERS HAVE COMMITTED? In N.Y., Mark Cannizzaro wrote there is a "bothersome and uncomfortable undercurrent with regard to who is not playing" in the tournament. Any hopes of a "star-packed field at Bay Hill have not been realized, as just 14 of the top 25 players in the world rankings are in the field." Without what Palmer has "done for the game, players would be playing for a fraction" of the $1.556M winner’s check "they’ll compete for this week and the countless millions from endorsements that line their pockets that Palmer’s pioneering paved the way for." Golfer Sam Saunders, Palmer's grandson, said of this week's field, "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. It is difficult. There are a lot of big tournaments sandwiched around each other right now" (N.Y. POST, 3/14). GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed the field this week. SI's Jeff Ritter wrote it would be "nice to see a bigger turnout from the top-ranked players, but the rerouted 'Florida Swing,' which now passes through Mexico City for a WGC event, throws a wrench into travel plans for the top 60." Ritter: "Arnie deserves all the tributes that can ever be given, but players also need to do what's best to prepare for Augusta." Golf magazine's Josh Sens noted this was a "big symbolic miss for professional golf." Schedules are "tight," but players "had plenty of time to adjust." Caddie John Wood asked, "Would it be wonderful if everyone got together to play at Bay Hill this year to honor Palmer? Sure. But the schedule is very cramped, and you can't blame the guys who don't play." Golf magazine's Joe Passov noted the players "need to do what's best for them and their careers," but "at least show up this very first year after the King has left us" (GOLF.com, 3/13). SI's Michael Bamberger wrote under the header, "Arnie Wouldn't Have Dwelled Over Lack Of Star Power At Bay Hill. You Shouldn't, Either" (GOLF.com, 3/13).
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: MORNINGREAD.com's Steve Elling noted tourney officials met with reps of the PGA Tour, Golf Channel, MasterCard and the Palmer family in December to discuss the future of the event without Palmer "around to entice players to show up." McDowell: "Obviously, ’17 is going to be a special year, and it’s going to be a very poignant year on a lot of levels. How do you take ’18, ’19 and ’20 and obviously continue Palmer’s legacy and keep Bay Hill a very, very relevant golf tournament?" Elling wrote comparisons "have been made" with the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship. Starting in '07, the year after Nelson died, the event’s strength-of-field rating "fell by more than half, reducing it to a mid-tier tournament" (MORNINGREAD.com, 3/14). Golf Channel's Geoff Shackelford said "most of the good work has been done" in terms of strengthening the tournament. Shackelford: "The huge increase in the purse makes this one of the biggest purses in golf. The three-year exemption is enormous. … Then you have Mastercard -- great sponsor -- thinking long-term." However, he added, "Ultimately, something has to happen from the PGA Tour and the scheduling front with WGC events. There just can't be two before The Masters. It really gets in the way of events like Bay Hill” (“Golf Central,” Golf Channel, 3/14).
LOVE FOR THE KING: In Chicago, Len Ziehm writes "no player has done as much to popularize golf as Palmer did, and the PGA Tour made sure that this week's tournament will be a celebration of his extraordinary life rather than the start of a sad farewell for a tournament that could be in decline" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 3/15). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits notes the statue of Palmer unveiled last week at Bay Hill is "only part of the tributes this week." During an opening ceremony tomorrow, Saunders will "hit the first tee shot with one of his grandfather’s clubs." Palmer’s cart and clubs will be "parked in an area above the 16th green that was his favorite place to watch the tournament." Players also are being "invited to sit at Palmer’s desk in his office to autograph a commemorative pin flag." The winner, instead of "receiving a navy blue sports coat, will now receive a red cardigan sweater, Palmer’s favorite kind of outerwear" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 3/15).
