2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview

The Course : Bay Hill Club & Lodge

A lot has changed between the time Tiger Woods sank a 20-foot putt to win the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational and March 24, 2010, including the golf course at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Every single one of the 18 holes at Bay Hill has been altered in some way or another over the past year.

Bunkers were moved and added based on the PGA Tour’s ShotLink data to provide more of a challenge off the tee and around the greens.   

The course was lengthened by 161 yards and will play as a par-72 this year as opposed to the par-70 it had played in recent years.  


Key Holes: 14-18 all rank amongst the top-10 hardest holes on the golf course.

The 17th hole is a 219 yard par-three surrounded by three bunkers and water long and right of the green.

The par-four 18th hole calls for a daunting approach shot over a large lake to a wide, skinny green.  Short, long or right on the 18th is bogey territory, which is why you’ll see most of the field bailing out somewhere towards the left side of the green no matter where the pin is located.


Contenders

Robert Allenby:

When does Robert Allenby not contend these days?

Winning is another matter altogether; he hasn’t done that on the PGA Tour since the 2001 Marconi Pennsylvania Classic, but he has become one of the most consistent players on tour over the past eight months.

Allenby has finished inside of the top-11 at four out of his first seven events in 2010.  He also finished 11th at last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Considering that Arnie used to play a vicious draw, it’s no surprise that his crown jewel—Bay Hill Club and Lodge—contains a large number of right-to-left holes, which sets up perfectly for Allenby who also likes to draw the golf ball.


Nick Watney:

Nick Watney has quietly been putting together a solid 2010 campaign.

Watney has three top-10 finishes in eight events and has finished outside the top-30 just once this season.

Watney also seems to be getting more comfortable at Bay Hill with each additional visit to the home of the King.

He missed the cut at the API in 2007, finished 21st in 2008 and finished 4th in 2009.  Only good things can come Watney's way if he keeps travelling down this same path in 2010.


Dark Horse: Tom Pernice Jr.

Yes he’s 50 years old.

Yes he made a double bogey six on the final hole of Q-School to finish one stoke away from earning a 2010 PGA Tour card.

And yes, he’s not a bomber of the golf ball, which has more or less become a prerequisite for success on the PGA Tour these days.  

But Pernice keeps the ball in play, which is a huge advantage on a golf course where water is present on nearly every hole.

Pernice has finished within the top-10 twice in the last four years at Bay Hill.

He seems to like the golf course, and guys typically play well at courses they like.


Winner: Rickie Fowler

Fowler is one of only 10 players in the field this week to have won at Bay Hill.

His win may have come at the 2006 HP Boys Junior Championship, but hey, a win is a win.

Fowler is quickly turning into the second coming of Phil Mickelson.  He’s flashy, he’s exciting to watch and he’s horribly inconsistent.

Fowler has earned almost $890,000 in just eight events in 2010, yet he’s made the cut in only four of those eight events.

Fowler is one of those guys who can easily follow up a 65 with a 77, only to come back with another 65 the following day.

He’s 102nd on tour in driving accuracy, 226th in total putting and 110th in scoring average, yet he’s managed to nearly win two events in just eight starts.

As inconsistent as he is, you can’t help but get the feeling that this guys is ready to break out with his first PGA Tour win any week now.

Perhaps it will come this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  

For more news, insight and analysis on the game’s hottest topics, visit The Tour Report .