Defending champion Scottie Scheffler headlines stacked field of PGA TOUR stars for 60th Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

ORLANDO, Fla. – When Scottie Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last March by a whopping five strokes, it set off one of the most remarkable stretches that professional golf has seen in recent memory.
 
The World No. 1 went on to win seven tournaments last season, and recorded 16 top-10 finishes in 19 events while capturing his second Masters tournament, winning THE PLAYERS Championship for the first time and capping off the season by hoisting the FedExCup trophy at the TOUR Championship.
 
So as he returns to Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge this week to defend his title at the 60th annual Arnold Palmer Invitational, while attempting to become the only player other than Tiger Woods to win the event more than two times, it’s no surprise that Scheffler brings plenty of fond memories with him.
 
“Last year I had a really good week here – especially the final round,” said Scheffler, who also won API in 2022. “I think I may have been tied going into the final round, but came out on a difficult day where the winds were up, and had a really nice round to finish off the tournament. That definitely gave me a little bit of a jump start to the year and a lot of confidence going forward.”
 
Scheffler headlines a field for the PGA TOUR’s fourth Signature Event of the season that includes 45 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including all of the top five: Scheffler, No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Ludvig Åberg and No. 5 Collin Morikawa.
 
Jason Day (2016) and Rory McIlroy (2018) are the two other former tournament champions in the field this week. McIlroy also finished second in 2023, and in 10 starts at Bay Hill, has logged six top-10 finishes.
 
“As soon as I got here and saw the golf course and I sort of instantly regretted that I didn’t come a little sooner, because it’s a golf course that sets up really, really well for me,” McIlroy said. “I’ve obviously done pretty well here with the win and a lot of other good finishes. So, yeah, it’s a great event. I think it’s one of the best setups that we play all year, with as strong a field as pretty much anywhere that we play. Yeah, it’s good to be back.”
 
The Arnold Palmer Invitational features a purse of $20 million, with $4 million and 700 FedExCup points awarded to the 2025 champion. As one of the three player-hosted invitationals among the PGA TOUR’s Signature Events, the tournament features a cut after the second round to the top 50 players and ties, and any additional players within 10 strokes of the lead.
 
Nick Dunlap will play in the API for the second time after winning the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year last season. Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA TOUR in more than 30 years when he captured The American Express in January 2024, and added a second victory at the Barracuda Championship in July.
 
The 21-year-old expressed his gratitude for Palmer’s contributions to the game, along with his awe in winning an award bearing the legend’s name.
 
“I think everything he’s done for the game of golf is spectacular,” Dunlap said, “and a lot of the people that have also been lucky enough to hold that trophy, it’s an honor to be alongside a lot of them.”
 
Jackson Koivun, sophomore at Auburn University, earned a sponsor exemption by winning the vote of his peers at the 2024 Palmer Cup. Since 2017, the winning team has voted for one individual to receive an exemption into the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Koivun will be making his fourth career PGA TOUR start.
 
“It was definitely something really special to be voted on by my peers,” Koivun said. “There’s a lot of really, really good golfers on that team, and for them to select me, it means a lot to be able to come out here at Bay Hill this week and try to go compete. I played here (Monday) and the course is truly something special.