Bay Hill Tees Up For Arnold Palmer Invitational

    We miss him dearly, but most fans agree: Arnold Palmer's spirit will always preside over his annual tournament. And though the King of Golf can no longer officiate his Invitational with us, the demand for admission seems to rise by the year. The memory of 2020's Arnold Palmer Invitational (A.P.I.) may be the last some golf fans recall of the game's traditionally massive crowds.

    With the nation's lethargic return to normalcy, the PGA also hopes to ease crowd restrictions in stages. A.P.I. tournament director Joie Chitwood looks forward to setting a new benchmark for the PGA's slow march back to standard capacity, allowing a one person, one seat policy at 25% capacity. Although Chitwood did not provide specific numbers during a recent interview, some analysts expect as many as 8,000 people at the tournament.

    To the delight of residents and fans alike, passersby noted the recent construction of Bay Hill's towering skyboxes, bleachers and scoreboards. However, tournament protocols differ from previous years. A health-and-safety committee will ensure social distancing and mask wearing procedures take place throughout the property. Bay Hill is also set provide a generous number of sanitization stations for use throughout the course.

    Due to Florida's lax COVID mandates, the Invitational will fare better than other tournaments this year regarding restrictions. Some PGA competitions weren't so lucky. At Pebble Beach, Monterrey County prevented organizers from constructing a simple dining area to accommodate the field. Players were also told that “in event of an on-course evacuation, players and caddies will be required to seek shelter in their vehicle.” In an interview with NBC golf, Chitwood reflected on the delicate character of sporting events, especially during the pandemic: “It does point out the fragile nature of sports in this country when we have a pandemic like this hit and how quickly events don’t happen and the things we have to go through to not just bring back sports but to bring back sports with fans." No stranger to crowd management, Chitwood, the grandson of famed racer Joie Chitwood Sr., previously served as the President of the Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    A.P.I. 2020 reigning champion Tyrrell Hatton will be competing again in defense of his title this year. In the past fourteen months, Hatton also scooped up many more impressive victories, including the Turkish Airlines Open; the BMW PGA Championship, the Euro tour’s flagship event, and the Abu Dhabi Championship.

    Safety remains Bay Hill's number one priority, though spectators long for the day the PGA fully returns to established norms. Until then fans ready themselves for 2021's Arnold Palmer Invitational and optimistically anticipate greater capacity in next year's event. The tournament will be held from March 4-7.

Then and now...

Above: A February 1982 issue of the Local News covering Bay Hill's Classic.