Bay Hill field reflects timing and Palmer's influence
IN: News | US PGA | Bay Hill Invitational (2005) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 16 Mar 2005
The Bay Hill Invitational, to a large extent, begins the run to Augusta and the field this week which, with the exception of Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and David Toms, reflects just how much the leading players see the event's importance in the lead up to the first major of the year. That it is the baby of Arnold Palmer does not hurt either with every single player in the field, and indeed in the game today, very much in debt to the game's greatest ever personality.
The event has been part of the PGA Tour calendar since 1966 when Lionel Herbert won the Florida Citrus Open, as it was known at that time. It became the Bay Hill Citrus Classic when the tournament moved to the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in 1979 and has undergone several name changes in the interim, but has remained at the Bay Hill venue since.
The course was originally designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee in 1961 but was purchased by Arnold Palmer and a business group in 1970 and changes were made. Palmer is still the primary owner of the Club and Lodge at Bay Hill and this tournament and its success is largely a result of the involvement of the great man.
The course has undergone further changes in recent years, the greens changed from Tifdwarf to Tifeagle Bermuda in 2001. That the greens have been so firm in recent years may well be a reflection on the fact that new greens often take time to settle in and become receptive. The greens on the two of the par threes, the 2nd and 17th holes which were causing so much angst amongst the professionals, have been reshaped to assist in making them more receptive to the type of shot they were originally designed to receive and by all accounts the move has been a success. According to one or two professionals that have played there early this week the greens generally are quite receptive although of course it is early in the week.
Tiger Woods heads the cast of stars and rightly so. Back at number one in the world he plays a course on which he has had so much success. Four times a winner in succession from 2000, Woods lost his way a little in 2004 after an opening round 67 had promised to see him become the first golfer to win an event in five consecutive years. He eventually finished 46th which was his worst finish on the USPGA Tour since the same event five years earlier when 56th. Suffice to say he is very nearly back to his best and his battle with the in-form Singh and Els this week will be, to say the least, captivating.
Singh was runner up in his very first starts here back in 1993 and 1994 when the event was known as the Nestle Invitational and although he has played well here since, he has not gone close to those efforts. It is hard to fault his current form, surely he must be in the thick of things on Sunday.
Els arrives in Florida after two consecutive and impressive victories in the Desert. He appears to be playing with perhaps the greatest confidence of his career. Interestingly however this event has not been so kind to him despite winning here in 1998. He missed the cut last year and his best finish in the five starts since his win, was his 9th place in 2002. That is the factor that counts against him this year.
Retief Goosen has hardly flattered on this course with three missed cuts in five starts with a 15th placing being his best, hardly qualifying for confidence in his capacity to do much better this week. His last round 64 at the Ford Championship however, which followed his third pacing at the Accenture, suggests that his form is solid
Zach Johnson is one I do like for this week and he will no doubt be at longer odds. He was 6th last year in his only time here and after his third place at the Ford Championship and his solid form earlier in the season, he is obviously happy with his game.
Adam Scott has played here on three occasions and has improved each time to the point of where he was third last year. After a great start to the year he produced a strange second round two weeks ago at the Ford Championship when a 78 saw him bow out early.
Stuart Appleby is one of the class players in the field but has an unusual record here. He was runner up last year and in 1997, but in between he and Bay Hill have just not gotten along. He won the Mercedes earlier in the year, but in his two starts since he has hardly excelled. He has been of course adjusting to the new role as a father so he may excused.
Another player who might provide some odds this week is Tim Herron who won here several years ago and looks close to something good. He had an ordinary Sunday last week at the Honda but he plays well in Florida-like conditions and I think might go well here.
Of the other Australasians Aaron Baddeley seems to be very much on the improve with three consecutive good weeks leading into this week. He was 6th here two years ago and there is no question his game and perhaps mind is in better shape now.
Geoff Ogilvy is on a high right now and despite the fact that he has not has a lot of success here at Bay Hill, he often plays well in Florida and might just do so again.
Richard Green and Nick O'Hern get their chance here via their recent exploits. Green comes off a good finish in Qatar last week when third and a run of remarkably consistent form over the last eighteen months. O'Hern plays well on Bermuda grass, his only win coming on such at Coolum in 1999 and many of his good efforts in Australia have come in Queensland where Bermuda dominates. He gets his chance to show the Americans again what a good solid player he is. He beat Tiger Woods three weeks ago at La Costa and played well at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits last year. They will add interest for Australians not used to seeing them play in the US.
Another Australian of interest is the West Australian amateur Michael Sim who has a place in the field via his win at the Southern Amateur last year. He misses events such as the Riversdale Cup and Australian Amateur Championship in his homeland to be here which would no doubt bring a smile to the face of the World Junior Champion, Jason Day. Day was suspended from representing Australia by the Australian Golf Union for committing to another rival event instead of playing one of their trial events, the Lake Macquarie Amateur in January. 20-year-old Sim, rightfully deserves his place in this field and nobody should deny him his place, but there does appear to be a strange conflict here.
Peter Lonard, Mark Hensby, Stephen Leaney, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry, Andre Stolz, John Senden, Brett Rumford and New Zealander Craig Perks are also there.
The tournament carries prizemoney of US$5 million with US$900,000 to the winner and has a field of 120 players.
