Arnold Palmer Invitational: Everything you need to know
Arnie’s place, the PGA Tour, early March… It’s the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill!
The PGA Tour returns to Arnie’s place this week, for the fourth Signature Event of the season – the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) is one of the oldest events on the PGA Tour schedule, dating back to the very first edition in 1966.
The famous Bay Hill Lodge and Club has played host to the annual competition since 1979, and since then, many a big name has lifted the trophy.
Tiger Woods is an eight-time winner of the API, including four successive wins from 2000 to 2003. Tom Kite, Loren Roberts and Ernie Els are among those to have also won the tournament on multiple occasions.
Big names including Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau and World No 1 Scottie Scheffler have all been victorious at Bay Hill in the last decade.
Kurt Kitayama is the reigning champion, as he won for the first time on the PGA Tour last March.
Arnold Palmer Invitational: The Details
- Dates: March 7-10, 2024
- Course: Bay Hill Lodge and Club
- Par: 72
- Length: 7,466 yards
- Prize purse: $20 million
- Defending champion: Kurt Kitayama (-9)
Frequently Asked Questions about the Arnold Palmer Invitational
When and where will the Arnold Palmer Invitational take place?
The 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational will take place from March 7-10. It will be held, as it is every year, at the Bay Hill Lodge and Club, just outside Orlando in Florida.
Who won the last Arnold Palmer Invitational?
American Kurt Kitayama secured his maiden PGA Tour title with a win at Bay Hill last year.
He finished on a score of 9-under-par, a shot ahead of compatriot Harris English and 2018 victor Rory McIlroy.
How do players qualify for the Arnold Palmer Invitational?
With the event being one of the eight Signature Events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule, there is a smaller field at Bay Hill this week. Only 70 players will take the course come Thursday morning.
There were several ways of getting into the field, with players in the following categories in the field:
- Top 50 on the FedEx Cup Standings for 2023
- Aon Next 10 (the ten highest ranked players on the 2024 FedEx Cup Standings, not already exempt)
- Aon Swing 5 (the top five points earners from the four previous full-field events, that were not already exempt)
- Sponsors Invites
What are the odds for the Arnold Palmer Invitational?
Odds for the 2024 edition are live. You can see them on Bet365 here.
Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are among the favourites for victory.
You can also read who we think might be the best tips for glory at the API this week here.
How can I watch the action?
The API will be broadcast around the world by various broadcast partners.
In the United Kingdom, action from all four days of the tournament will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Comprehensive coverage, including live scoring, shot-by-shot data, and player highlights, will be available on the PGA Tour’s website and app.
How much will the winner take home from Bay Hill?
The winner of the tournament will pocket a cool $4 million – 20% of the $20 million prize pot.
You can check out our full breakdown of the Arnold Palmer Invitational prize pot here.
Are you excited for the Arnold Palmer Invitational? Who do you think will take the title? Let us know with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
