The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational kicks off at Bay Hill

Once again, one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, has rolled around for its 2026 tournament. The annual tour held at Bay Hill Club and Lodge welcomes 72 of the top golfers from around the world to take their shots to win the iconic red alpaca cardigan. 

The community in Central Florida welcomed the PGA Tour back to its grounds Monday, March 2, for the opening day kickoff in the Arnie’s Army Legacy Pro-Am presented by Chick-fil-A. Bleachers are available for seating on the first, sixth, 14th, 17th and 18th holes and the driving range. 

The Pro-Am teams comprised four amateurs and one playing professional golfer. This year, the professional golfer Daniel Bennett and his team of Corey Crossan, Bryan Decunha, Ken Robinson and David Rosemer won the Pro-Am. 

Bennett is making his PGA TOUR debut. He was a recipient of the Palmer Cup Award at last summer’s Palmer Cup. The 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Texas was a top-ranked junior player in South Africa before college. He posted five wins and 26 top-10 finishes, competing at the Amateur Championship and the U.S. Junior Amateur in the summer of 2024. During his freshman campaign at UT, he earned the Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award, becoming the fifth Longhorn behind Cole Hammer, Scottie Scheffler, Brandon Stone and David Gossett to receive the award.

Behind the college sophomore’s team was Ted Scott with Jeff Allder, Doug Bertz, Bill Hohns and Skip Volkerson in second place. In third was Paul Tesori with Ryan Peers, Marty Settler, Todd Triplett and Zach Waxler. 

Tournament competition kicks off at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 5, and Throwback Thursday presented by Corckcicle also occurs that day from noon to 3 p.m. Round two of the PGA Tour commences Friday, March 6. 

Friday also is known as Foundation Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitation. The day is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Arnold and Winnie Palmer and thanking the foundation’s partners. Through the efforts of last year’s Foundation Friday, the Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation expanded access to youth golf in Central Florida through placing investments in scholarships and buying golf equipment. It also paid for entry fees for the U.S. Kids Golf Local Tours in Orlando and Tampa. 

This year’s Foundation Friday is taking on a new role. It will support a character and leadership initiative that is being developed by Arnold Palmer’s alma mater, Wake Forest University, which is led by Michael Lamb, a senior executive director of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest. 

The gates open at 8:30 a.m. for the tournament competition’s Round three and Round four, Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8. On Saturday there’s a special Birdies & BBQ event from noon to 3 p.m. for guests to enjoy, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, they can enjoy the Patriots’ Outpost. 

Running the premier Central Florida tournament are 1,500 volunteers who work a combined total of more than 56,017 hours, with 31 different volunteering committees. There’s 62 volunteers who have served 20-plus years with the tournament and more than $400,000 is provided annually to the community groups that help make it all possible. 

The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard is in full gear Thursday, March 5 through Sunday, March 8. The PGA TOUR is welcoming family and friends to its grounds to enjoy various festivities each day and professional golf play. 

HIGHEST RANKED PLAYERS PARTICIPATING 

World Ranking

1.     Scottie Scheffler

2.     Rory McIlroy

3.     Tommy Fleetwood

4.     Justin Rose

5.     Collin Morikawa

6.     Chris Gotterup

7.     Russell Henley

8.     Robert MacIntyre

9.     J.J. Spaun

10.     Xander Schauffele

FedEx Cup Ranking 

1.     Jacob Bridgeman

2.     Chris Gotterup

3.     Scottie Scheffler

4.     Collin Morikawa

5.     Jake Knapp

6.     Nico Echavarria

7.     Ryan Gerard

8.     Hideki Matsuyama

9.     Si Woo Kim

10.     Min Woo Lee