Jim Furyk admits he didn’t always pencil in a stop at the Bay Hill Club &
Lodge on his busy playing schedule. The calendar seemed to work against him,
and the Champions Course didn’t seem to suit his game, as much as he
enjoyed it.
Now, Furyk is again making a point of heading to central Florida, to the
PGA Tour event hosted by one of the game’s legends.
When the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
begins March 26, Furyk will be among the many former major championship
winners in the elite, invitation-only field, and the Florida resident hopes he can
add to his 13 PGA Tour victories at a tournament that has come to have special
meaning for veteran.
Furyk, 39, is a native of Pennsylvania, as is the tournament host, the
source of a special bond. That bond was strengthened a few years ago when Palmer wrote to Furyk personally to return to Bay Hill after the 2003 U.S. Open winner had missed the Orlando spot for six years starting in 2000.
“He wrote to me, and that meant a lot,” said Furyk, who last won on the
PGA Tour at the 2007 Canadian Open. “I'll be dead honest, if Arnold or
someone will talk to you personally or writes you a letter personally and signs
it, it would be tough to say no.”
Ranked as high as No. 2 in the world and currently No. 17 in the Official
World Golf Ranking, Furyk also sees the tournament dates as being
advantageous as he prepares for the first major of the year, the Masters. The
Arnold Palmer Invitational has been moved back two weeks to anchor the
Florida swing on the PGA Tour.
“This year, it would kind of be a no-brainer for me because of the way the
schedule worked for me,” Furyk says. “I’ve played the last few years, and I
planned on going this year as well all along. It’s really a tournament I don’t
want to miss now. Obviously, a big part of that is simply what Arnold means to
the game. Being from Pennsylvania, I’ve always been aware of what he’s done,
and of course, the game we are playing today, we all owe a lot to Arnold. The
game would be much different without him.”
Furyk would point out that his game is different these days, too, and the
changes mean he is better equipped to compete at Bay Hill, not that he has
struggled too much before. True, he missed the cut in his first two appearances
in 1994 and 1995, but he has scored at par or better in every start since then.
His best showing was a tie for eighth in 1998. Last year, he was just three off
the lead through two rounds before No. 1 Tiger Woods pulled away for his fifth
victory.
“It's actually endearing itself to me,” Furyk says of the 7,157-yard, par-
70 layout. “The more I play it, the more I tend to enjoy it. But I think my game
has changed a lot, too, in the last few years, and that probably helps. I think I
hit the ball higher, hit the ball a lot farther, and I'm not having some of the
issues I had at the course. Plus, I think they're setting it up a little bit
differently, which should be interesting. It will be challenging, for sure. I am
looking forward to it.”
Palmer said his fellow Keystone State native has to be considered among
the favorites because of his ability to drive the ball, a staple of Palmer’s game in
his prime.
“Jim drives it well enough, and we aren’t so long that he couldn’t take
advantage of some scoring opportunities from the fairways,” Palmer said. “He’s certainly capable of winning here. His game is such that he’s capable of winning anywhere.”
For tickets or for more information, log on to the tournament web site,
www.arnoldpalmerinvitational.com or call the Bay Hill ticket office at 407-876-
7774 or toll free at 1-866-764-4843. Tournament proceeds benefit the Arnold
Palmer Hospital for Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and
Babies.