This week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational is as must-see TV as any golf event thus far in 2022. Part of that is due to the second-best field of the calendar year, and part of it is due to a golf course at Bay Hill that has delivered plenty of drama over the years, especially when it’s fast and firm as is expected this time around.
Rory McIlroy opened with a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the lead after Round 1, but Viktor Hovland took a two-stroke advantage after Friday’s action.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm making his first appearance at this tournament certainly helps its cause, but he’s not the only reason to tune in. McIlroy, Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Hideki Matsuyama are all playing this week at the API, just ahead of the event of the first quarter of the year next week at the Players Championship.
This time last year, we got that iconic shot of Bryson DeChambeau nearly carrying the 6th green with his drive (twice). We won’t get that this time around because DeChambeau withdrew on Monday with lingering hand and hip injuries, but that’s not the only piece of drama we’ve seen in recent years here.
McIlroy thriving at this course has added to its appeal over the last five years, and it’s given us a diverse set of winners ever since Tiger Woods stopped winning it (he won for the eighth time in 2013). Since then, we’ve seen Matt Every (twice), and then spanned the globe from Jason Day to Marc Leishman to Francesco Molinari to Tyrrell Hatton to McIlroy to DeChambeau.
With another good international field part of the event this week, I expect another great (almost Open Championship-like) leaderboard. And as has happened over the past six years, another great ball-striker should rise to the top by Sunday afternoon. We won’t get a player carrying the 6th green, but we should get another tremendous Arnold Palmer Invitational.
All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated
Round 3 – Saturday
Round starts: 7:00 a.m.
PGA Tour Live (four streams): 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. — PGA Tour Live
Early TV coverage: 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live TV coverage: 2:30-6 p.m. on NBC
Live simulcast: 2:30-6 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and NBCSports.com
Radio: 1-6 p.m. on PGA Tour Radio
Round 4 – Sunday
Round starts: 7:15 a.m.
PGA Tour Live (four streams): 7:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. — PGA Tour Live
Early TV coverage: 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live TV coverage: 2:30-6 p.m. on NBC
Live simulcast: 2:30-6 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and NBCSports.com
Radio: 1-6:30 p.m. on PGA Tour Radio
