It's St. Patrick's Day 2017, about 7:45am, and while many of my Irish brethren are preparing for a day of celebrating their Irish heritage at various bars/parades scattered around New England, I find myself watching Rickie Fowler on the practice green of the Bay Hill Course on day two of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. While this was a day of celebration worldwide, it was also a day to honor one of the best ambassadors for a game the world has ever known. Boy did this day deliver.
The idea of heading down to Bay Hill crossed my mind a few weeks ago: I had received a job offer and wasn't starting for a couple of weeks so I thought "what the hell, why not go watch one of the most popular tournaments on the PGA Tour where the once great Tiger Woods has won a record eight times throughout the previous decade. Combining golf with some family time, I was headed south. This is my experience on a St. Patrick's Day I won't soon forget.
The Significance:
The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been a staple event for as long as golf can remember. Since 1979, Arnold Palmer made it his goal to provide a world-class tournament for the best players on tour at one of the most well-kept courses in the country. Over the previous decade, it is without question a destination for golfers and patrons alike to watch, most likely, Tiger Woods wipe the field clean and claim victory. However, things have unfortunately changed, mainly with the passing of the great Palmer last November. I would have loved to be in the presence of golf royalty, but figured it would still be a special experience nonetheless, especially with his family, friends and dedicated volunteers who have given many hours of support to make this tournament a success. On the plane ride down to Florida I couldn't help but think what the turnout would be and what the vibe would be like in the first year without Palmer in attendance. There has been so much hype and publicity surrounding this tournament on television that I knew it would be a successful event, but would the players feel the same way? I was definitely excited to find out, and I was pumped to be able to watch some golf live in person for the first time in about eight years since I last went to Deutsche Bank Championship in Massachusetts.
The Field:
The headlines leading up to the API seemed to be which players are indeed making the trip to Orlando, and which are opting to skip the event. Among the major names who weren't in the field for the tournament were Jordan Spieth (who has only played the event twice), Justin Thomas (he had a wedding in Alabama), Dustin Johnson (guy can do whatever he wants), Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson, who also rarely plays the event. Much has been said about the rearranging of the PGA Tour schedule, most notably the Florida swing which used to include a tournament at Trump National in Doral but was moved to Mexico City starting this year. Going from California to one tournament in Florida, down to Mexico City and then back to Florida definitely takes a toll on a players' psyche so I can certainly understand the reason to skip this year. However, this year is different and I expected as many players as possible to attend the event to honor and pay respects in a way to the King of Golf. Regardless, the list of professionals in the tournament was impressive with my homie Rickie Fowler (more on him later), Rory McIlroy (my legitimate twin), big John Daly (his St. Patrick's Day pants were electric) and importantly Sam Saunders, grandson of Palmer.
Getting There:
Although there is plenty of parking at Bay Hill, I decided to go more economical and get the full experience by parking at Universal Studios and taking the shuttle over to the course in hopes of surrounding myself with other patrons who have traveled both near and far to watch some golf. Anyone who knows me knows I like to be early to things, and I would've told you, in the spirit of March Madness, to bet your life savings that I would be the first one on that shuttle and the first patron to enter Bay Hill. Fortunately, no one lost any money because I was actually second onto the shuttle and second to enter the grounds, but to get there that early is rather impressive if I say so myself.
Finding the parking couldn't have been easier, especially since I made the drive from Tampa to Orlando that same morning and arrived at the parking garage at 6:45am. Once the shuttles began running at 7am I was already on the practice green by 7:30am watching the likes of Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Ollie Schniederjans (huge calves), Paul Casey and others get warmed up for competition. Among the HUNDREDS of volunteers at this event, there was adequate signage, food and drink to help you around the grounds as best as possible and it was evident that there was a lot of love and care that went into this tournament. Just how Arnie would have wanted it.
Thoughts:
The biggest thing I wanted to get a grasp on upon entering the grounds of the tournament is what the vibe would be like. Would it be somber? Emotional? Energetic? As you might have guessed, it was all three. The mood surrounding the players, fans, camera crews, sound crews, etc. was energetic and the goal was to put on a fun and charismatic event. For me personally, I knew I was in the presence of greatness, especially having starred right at Palmer's family home just off the 18th green. Like I said, I hadn't been to a professional golf event since TPC Boston down in Norton, MA so I didn't have much experience being on a PGA caliber course. While driving into the community of Bay Hill on the shuttle it looked like a typical Florida golf community. Homes ranged from million-dollar mansions to standard one-floor homes with a fenced in pool like every other house in Florida. I like that setting a lot and have always dreamed about how cool it would be to live in a golf community such as this, or to have a home right on the fairway of a golf course.
One thing that separates golf events from other major sporting events, is the level of intimacy you are able to have with the players. Ten minutes after entering the grounds I was fist-bumping Rickie Fowler (no big deal), towering over Hideki Matsuyama and was frankly scared of Ernie Els...the guy is huge but also gave off a friendly-giant vibe. See picture at right. After watching some of the guys putt on the greens, I was able to get a front-row glimpse on the driving range which was where I was able to see the flawlessness of a Rory McIlroy golf swing and the emotional and very public coverage of one Sam Saunders. I even had the chance to stroll down the fairway with Rory on the third hole, chatted him up on that brisk but sunny St. Patrick's Day and also give him some pointers on how to play out of the sand (kidding, obviously).
In Conclusion: All in all, for such an emotional tournament with a tremendous turnout, I was very glad I decided to buy a ticket for this event. Although it definitely felt a bit eerie without the King in attendance, it was evident that there was so much love and support from the players, volunteers and patrons across the grounds at Bay Hill. Growing up playing golf, to be able to see these guys up close and personal and to catch a glimpse of their swings, body language and demeanor while competing at the highest possible level is a life-changing experience. Golf is seemingly turning into a younger game these days, not only with the developing stars like a Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth, but with the level of coverage the game is getting is unprecedented. Streaming live on Twitter for a couple hours a week, SnapChat stories of Justin Thomas, Fowler and Spieth on vacation and live Q&A sessions with Wesley Bryan and Tony Finau on Instagram, golf is back. And it is without a doubt because of one, Arnold Palmer, who make this game as popular as it is. Thank you Bay Hill, thank you Rickie Fowler, thank you Mr. Palmer.
