Tyrell Hatton received an enormous ovation after he rolled in a short par putt to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first PGA Tour victory in 2020. It wasn’t the loudest ever at Bay Hill, not with Tiger Woods winning eight times or Palmer hitting driver off the deck onto the 18th green in his final appearance.
The Houston Open last fall allowed daily ticket sales for 2,000. The Phoenix Open had only a fraction of its typical attendance, but at 5,000 a day, it was still something.
That’s about what Bay Hill is anticipating this week, with tournament officials saying attendance will be limited to 25% capacity. A limited number of fans will be allowed in subsequent weeks at least through the Masters.
Even during the pro-am Wednesday, where Bryson DeChambeau tried (unsuccessfully) to drive over all the water on the right-to-left, 555-yard sixth hole, spectators milled about the course and the practice area.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational was a big step for Hatton, the Englishman who since has starred on the golf course and in the latest European Tour social media video on anger management.
Bay Hill was the last PGA Tour event before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months. Hatton contended in his next two events after the restart, and then he picked up the biggest win of his career at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where he used to attend as a kid. He started this year winning in Abu Dhabi against a strong field.
Hatton was No. 31 in the world before Bay Hill a year ago. Now he is No. 6, making him the top-ranked player in the field.
The stars are not out at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, mainly due to its spot on the schedule — it follows marquee events at Riviera and a World Golf Championship in Florida, with The Players Championship next week and the Masters approaching.
Rory McIlroy is playing, and Jordan Spieth makes his debut at Bay Hill. The 27-year-old from Dallas never has been able to squeeze it into his schedule with a busy West Coast swing, a World Golf Championship and then the Texas events that precede the Masters. This year, he was ineligible for the WGC for the first time in eight years.
