Golf

Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka Lead Field in the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

6 years ago

February 29, 2020

ORLANDO, Fla. – World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, the 2018 winner, and No. 3 Brooks Koepka lead a list of four of the top-10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking who have committed to compete in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard March 2-8 at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

The other top-10 players to commit are No. 6 Adam Scott and No. 8 Patrick Reed as of the 5 p.m. deadline Friday.

Brooks Koepka, winner of seven PGA TOUR events, including four major championships (2017 & 2018 U.S. Open and the 2018 & 2019 PGA Championship), will play at Bay Hill for the fifth time. His best finish was a tie for 26th in 2014.

Koepka, the 2018 PGA TOUR player of the year, has made five starts this season, returning after three months away due to a left knee injury. The 29-year-old has a season best finish of a tie for 43rd at The Genesis Invitational.

Another veteran player who has enjoyed success at Bay Hill is returning. World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, who won the 1997 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, has joined the field. A 44-time PGA TOUR winner, Mickelson, 49, will be making his 16^th start in the tournament, where in addition to his win he has three top-five finishes.

Additional past champions in the field include Francesco Molinari, who won the event last year, Rory McIlroy (2018) Marc Leishman (2017), Jason Day (2016), Matt Every (2014, 2015), Vijay Singh (2017) and Robert Gamez (1990) are other former winners in the field.

In all, 13 of the top 25 in the world and 20 of the top 25 in the current FedExCup Standings, populate the 120-player field.

This year marks the 42^nd edition of the tournament that bears the name of golf legend Arnold Palmer. Mr. Palmer brought the former Florida Citrus Open to his Bay Hill Club in 1979 and turned it into one of the most elite events in golf. It offers a purse of $9.3 million, one of the richest on the PGA TOUR, and the winner will receive a three-year TOUR exemption instead of two years. For the second time, the tournament will be the first event in The Open Qualifying Series USA, meaning three spots for The 149^th Open at Royal St. George’s are up for grabs to the leading players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

9 months ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

Celebrity

LPGA Pros Shutout Celebs at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions “Break The Glass” Challenge

Published

11 months ago

January 28, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (Florida National News) – Some big names in sports, entertainment, and music can be found with golf clubs in hand at The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, this weekend. About 50 celebrities will compete for a $500,000 purse, while LPGA Tour players try to grab their share of $2 million in prize money.

Today, LPGA pros Megan Khang, Alexa Pano, and Bailey Tardy took on celebrities Landon Donovan, Major League Soccer legend, Michael Peña, award-winning actor, and Kira Dixon, Reporter and Miss America 2015 in the annual “Break The Glass” challenge. The LPGA pros shutout the celebs 3-0. You can watch the action here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFYsQKbyiAi/?igsh=YzZlNG9rNXhvbnRy. (And be sure to follow Florida National News on Instagram and Facebook.)

Lydia Ko returns to defend her title, after adding an Olympic gold medal and membership in the LPGA Hall of Fame to her resume since last year’s tournament. Actors Don Cheadle and Larry The Cable Guy, NBA stars Blake Griffin and Ray Allen, and Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Charles Woodson are just some of the celebs hitting the links Thursday, 1/30 through Sunday, 2/2. Tickets and more information are available online at http://www.HGVLPGA.com.

Golf

The ANNIKA Golf Tournament Welcomes WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

BELLEAIR, Fla. (FNN) – The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair tees off Wednesday, 11/13 with a Pro-Am featuring WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday, as the LPGA golfers compete for their share of a $3.25 million purse, while also trying to secure their spot in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It’s the fifth year of competition for this tournament, named after Annika Sorenstam, who is one of just two players to currently have a tournament named after her on the PGA Tour. Proceeds from this tournament benefit the ANNIKA Foundation, which aims to develop, empower, and advance young women around the world through golf and in life.

The ANNIKA Award (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The field of 120 includes Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Lydia Ko, Brittany Lincicome, and many more top golfers. Annika Sorenstam will particpate in the Pro-Am, but the appearance of Caitlin Clark has certainly boosted ticket sales, and helped to sell out tickets for the Women’s Leadership Summit, where Clark spoke Tuesday.

Back-to-back hurricanes knocked down 40 trees and left twenty inches of rain on the fairways and greens for days. But the course is ready for this weekend’s tournament.

If you’d like to check out the tournament, visit www.theannika.com for tickets and additional information. Be sure to follow www.FloridaSportsChannel.com and www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.