Tiger pushes British to best ratings in years

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau plans to return to Bay Hill after navigating a few injuries through the early part of the 2021-22 season. He’s joined by a field full of the game’s biggest names include two-time FedExCup champion and past Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 Jon Rahm. FIELD NOTES: Bryson is back. DeChambeau, who won the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, has been battling some injuries early this season. His agent, Brett Falkoff, told PGATOUR.COM that DeChambeau will “continue to rehab” and is hopeful to compete … Recent winners who are returning to Bay Hill include Rory McIlroy – a winner already this season – along with Tyrrell Hatton and Marc Leishman … World No. 1 Jon Rahm is set to tee it up … FedExCup leader Hideki Matsuyama is returning to action as he inches closer to his Masters title defense … Scottie Scheffler is back in action. He earned his maiden PGA TOUR victory at the WM Phoenix Open and backed that up with a T7 at The Genesis Invitational … Lee Westwood returns to Bay Hill after a runner-up last season … 2021 U.S. Amateur winner James Piot is in the field. It’s the PGA TOUR debut for the Michigan State product … Will Zalatoris will forever be connected to Arnold Palmer. Zalatoris, who is teeing it up at Bay Hill, played at Wake Forest on the Arnold Palmer Scholarship and won the 2020-21 Arnold Palmer Award as TOUR Rookie of the Year … Sponsor exemptions include a wide mix of TOUR veterans and fresh faces. Former FedExCup winner Brandt Snedeker in addition to major winners Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington and Danny Willett are all in the field. They’re joined by Nicolai Hojgaard – who made his TOUR debut at The Honda Classic – John Pak, Davis Thompson and Min Woo Lee, among others … Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett earned his way into the field as the Arnold Palmer Cup representative from 2021. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 FedExCup points. COURSE: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, par 72, 7,466 yards. The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard has been held at Bay Hill every year on TOUR since 1979. The mostly flat layout challenges the TOUR’s best mostly with water that comes into play on many of the holes. The last two years have seen some blustery conditions as well, resulting in tough scoring conditions. For example, Tyrrell Hatton’s winning total of 4-under 284 was the highest since 1983, while last season’s final-round scoring average of 75.49 was the highest in a final round since 1980. STORYLINES: The biggest question heading into Bay Hill is how Bryson DeChambeau will fare, as he recovers from a pair of injuries – to his left hip and left hand. This marks his first PGA TOUR start since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. He was scheduled to play The Genesis Invitational, as well, but withdrew before the event began … DeChambeau was the first American winner at Bay Hill since Matt Every six years prior. International players had won in five consecutive tournament iterations … The winner at Bay Hill earns a three-year PGA TOUR exemption instead of the usual two due to the event’s elevated status … There is plenty of firepower set to tee it up at Bay Hill, with five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking in the field. That number includes world No. 1 Jon Rahm, who announced on social media last week that he and wife Kelley are expecting their second child. Rahm finished T21 at The Genesis Invitational, his first finish outside the top-15 in the 2022 calendar year. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Payne Stewart (1987). 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Andy Bean (Round 2, 1981), Greg Norman (Round 2, 1984), Adam Scott (Round 1, 2014). LAST TIME: Sunday at Bay Hill proved to be one of the toughest days on record, so it should have been no surprise that Bryson DeChambeau overpowered the field the best. DeChambeau shot a final-round 71 a year ago, matching the low score of the day. No one broke 70 on Sunday at Bay Hill for the first time since 1980. It was DeChambeau’s second win of the season. He opened with a bogey, but he made birdie on Nos. 4 and 6 – after a 377-yard drive over water on a memorably aggressive line at the par-5 sixth – and stayed steady the rest of the way home. Lee Westwood shot a 1-over 73 and finished runner-up. He and DeChambeau were never separated by more than one shot over the final 15 holes. Corey Conners finished in third alone, while Andrew Putnam, Richy Werenski and Jordan Spieth rounded out the top five. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12–6 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1–6 p.m. Sunday, 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

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PGA Tour golfer Gary Woodland surprised his friend Amy Bockerstette in a video Monday with the news that she was selected to represent Special Olympics Arizona in next year’s USA Games in Orlando.

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It was a good day out for the old guy. Phil Mickelson’s first PGA TOUR round since turning 50 on June 16 showed why he might not be shifting over to PGA TOUR Champions any time soon. The 44-time TOUR winner’s day at the Travelers Championship began with news he’d earned aspot in this year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot (Sept. 17-20) after the USGA announced its new exemption criteria in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Because sectional qualifying had to be canceled, the tournament announced that the top 70 in the world as of March 15 would be exempt. Mickelson was 61st at the time. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Chase Koepka receives spot in 2021 Travelers That means he’ll return to the course where a double-bogey on the final hole led to perhaps the most heartbreaking defeat of his half-dozen runners-up in his national championship. On Thursday at TPC River Highlands, flanked by FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy and the bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau, Mickelson responded to every old-guy joke with both a silky tongue and a display of his sublime skills. When the trio signed their cards, Mickelson had a bogey-free 64, one behind McIlroy but one better than DeChambeau. Mickelson hit 16 of 18 greens while averaging near 300 yards in driving distance off all tees. “His longevity is incredible,” McIlroy said. “The big thing about Phil is his resilience. … It looks from the outside he’s never feared failure, and I think that’s what’s made him such a fan favorite is he goes for things and he takes on things.” How has Mickelson been able to keep doing so? The man himself says it’s not that complicated. “I love what I do. I love my job. I love trying to play and compete, and I really enjoy playing with guys like Rory and Bryson who are just tremendous talents and trying to compete with those guys,” Mickelson said. “I played really some good golf and smart golf, and I played really well today.” If Mickelson can find a way to win this week he would be just the eighth player to claim a TOUR win after 50. The last came when a 51-year-old Davis Love III won the 2015 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. The oldest winner on TOUR is Sam Snead at 52 years, 10 months and 8 days in the same event in 1965. There are plenty out there who think Mickelson will challenge this record in the coming years. And also those who believe he will become the first player to win a major championship post 50. Julius Boros was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship to set the record for oldest major winner. “Any time Phil tees it up he’s got a chance to win, especially in majors, just because of his pedigree and his short game and all that,” former PGA Champion Keegan Bradley said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Phil won multiple more majors to be honest because he’s a historic player that if he gets near the lead, he’s going to be tough to beat.” A win at Winged Foot the win would complete the career Grand Slam and be one of the most incredible sports stories of all time given the history of near-misses. His play Thursday at the Travelers Championship showed it’s not out of the question.

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