Past champion Phil Mickelson leads a group of eight winners of 2012 PGA TOUR events into this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.
The 34th annual tournament at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge will also feature 34 of the top 50 players on the final 2011 PGA TOUR money list, including three of the top four - Webb Simpson, Nick Watney and K.J. Choi - and the 2011FedExCup champion, Bill Haas, who also won the Northern Trust Open earlier this year.
Haas and Mickelson, winner of the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, are joined in the field of 120 players by other 2012 winners Johnson Wagner (Sony Open in Hawaii), Mark Wilson (Humana Challenge), Brandt Snedeker (Farmers Insurance Open), John Huh (Mayakoba Classic), Hunter Mahan (WGC Accenture Match Play) and Justin Rose (WGC Cadillac Championship).
Ten former Bay Hill winners holding 16 titles are entered. In addition to Mickelson(1997 winner) are Robert Gamez (1990), Andrew Magee (1991), Ernie Els (1998,2010), Tim Herron (1999), Tiger Woods (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009), Chad Campbell (2004), Rod Pampling (2006), Vijay Singh (2007), and defending champion Martin Laird.
Thirteen of the top 25 players on the Official World Golf Ranking, and 24 of the top 50 are entered, led by three of the top10 - No. 7 Rose, No. 8 Simpson and No.10 Mahan. Other highly-ranked players are No. 13 Mickelson, No. 14 Haas, No. 16 Bubba Watson, No. 17 Graeme McDowell, No. 18 Woods, No. 19 Watney, No. 21 Snedeker, No. 22 Sergio Garcia, No. 23 Choi and No. 25 Wilson.
Fifteen players in the field have won major championships in their careers, for a total of 35 victories, led by Woods and his 14 major titles.