12 Of Top 25 In The World To Play In The Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By Mastercard Next Week

ORLANDO, Fla. – The final field is set for the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, scheduled for March 4-7 at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla.

Highlighting the field are three of the top 10, 12 of top 25 and 24 of the top 50 players in the world who will play in Central Florida’s signature sporting event.

Tyrrell Hatton, defending champion, is the top-ranked player in the field at fifth in the world golf rankings. Rounding out those in the top 10 are Rory McIlroy, who has 18 PGA TOUR victories and won the event in 2018, at No. 8 in the world, and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau at No. 10.

Those in the top 25 include:

•  No. 5 Tyrrell Hatton
•  No. 8 Rory McIlroy
•  No. 10 Bryson DeChambeau
•  No. 11 Patrick Reed
•  No. 14 Viktor Hovland
•  No. 16 Matthew Fitzpatrick
•  No. 17 Sungjae Im
•  No. 18 Paul Casey
•  No. 20 Harris English
•  No. 21 Tommy Fleetwood
•  No. 23 Hideki Matsuyama
•  No. 25 Kevin Na

Hatton, McIlroy and DeChambeau join Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler in highlighting the field along with 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational champion Francesco Molinari and 2018 Masters Champion Patrick Reed.

Spieth, three-time major championship winner, has seen success in the past few weeks where he recently posted two top-10 finishes at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (T4) and at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T3).

Other field highlights include:

•  Hovland (one PGA TOUR victory in 2021, two career TOUR wins; 4th FedExCup rank)
•  Fitzpatrick (six International victories; member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team)
•  Im (2019 Arnold Palmer Award for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, third place in last year’s tournament);
•  Casey (three PGA TOUR victories; 16 International wins)
•  English (one PGA TOUR victory in 2021; three career TOUR wins; 5th FedExCup rank)

“Our final field has star power and includes some of the best players in the world,” said Joie Chitwood, Vice President of Corporate Development for the Arnold Palmer Group and Tournament Director for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It’s such an honor to host these top-ranked players here at Arnold Palmer’s tournament in Central Florida. The competition will be strong and we are excited to see who will wear the red cardigan as our Champion on Sunday.”

Additional tournament champions playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational field include Marc Leishman (2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational champion, last year’s runner-up and 2020 tournament ambassador); Jason Day (2016); Matt Every (2014, 2015); Martin Laird (2011); Tim Herron (1999); Paul Goydos (1996); and Robert Gamez (1990).

Notable sponsor exemptions include U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker (12 PGA TOUR wins); U.S. Vice-Captain Zach Johnson (12 PGA TOUR wins, 2007 Masters winner, 2015 Open Champion); and European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington (three-time major champion and six-time PGA TOUR winner).

The 120-player field also includes 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett; 2014 PGA TOUR FedExCup champion Billy Horschel (a native of Grant, Fla. and a University of Florida alumnus); and World Golf Hall of Famer and 21-time PGA TOUR winner Davis Love III (including one major win at the 1997 PGA Championship).

Other tournament sponsor exemptions include 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell; University of Florida product, four-time PGA TOUR winner and 2008 FedExCup runner-up Camilo Villegas; Kamaiu Johnson, APGA Tour standout, who is based in Orlando; 2019 and 2020 European Amateur champion and University of Louisville senior Matthias Schmid, of Germany; John Augenstein, the 23-year-old Vanderbilt grad, 2020 SEC player of the year, who finished T-55 at the Masters in November. Schmid and Augenstein are two-time members of the Arnold Palmer Cup who played in the event both in 2019 and 2020.

The $9.3 million Arnold Palmer Invitational will award $1,674,000 and 550 FedExCup points to its 2021 champion.

The 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational was the last PGA TOUR event to host fans at full capacity through the tournament’s completion.

In coordination with local health officials and the PGA TOUR, attendance this year will be limited to 25 percent of capacity, and multi-day tickets will not be available. Limited day-specific tickets are still available for general admission, priced at $65 for Thursday; $75 for Friday; $80 for Sunday.  Saturday tickets are sold out. Mastercard cardholders will receive exclusive pricing, a $5 discount, on general admission tickets.

Fans will only be permitted on site for days of competition rounds; no fans will be allowed for practice rounds or Pro-Ams earlier in the week. Also, fans will be required to present a valid digital ticket to enter tournament grounds via a contactless admissions process; ticketing is all-digital this year.

There will be no shuttle service for the tournament. On-site parking passes can be purchased for $50 each day. There will also be a rideshare drop-off on site. All tickets and parking must be purchased in advance. There will be no walk-up sales.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard will follow the PGA TOUR fan safety guide to promote a safe environment and quality experience on the golf course.

Limited hospitality for corporate partners will be featured on holes 8, 14, 16, 17 and 18.  All skyboxes will be open-air with plenty of room for guests to keep a safe distance from one another.