Mar 20

Written by:
3/20/2009 

I normally don't get all that excited to see Tiger Woods in the field for a regular PGA TOUR stop.  It's always fun to watch him in the majors as he chase Nicklaus' record, but the regular events aren't that thrilling.  The Arnold Palmer Invitational will be a little different for me this year, though.

I got a chance to play Bay Hill Country Club for the first time in November.  It was one of the rare chances I got to play the site of a professional tournament (read about my round in Pacific Northwest Golfer Magazine). I'd watched the Bay Hill on television many times, but have a new appreciation for it after a loop there.

The guys I played with that sunny day in Orlando both wanted to play the course from the tips.  It was a lot of fun to visualize where the galleries would be and what it would be like to stand next to some of the world's best as they made their way around the course.  

Back to Tiger.

Now that Woods has committed to defending this title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, I can't wait to compare some of my holes to where Tiger plays from.  Obviously, his drives will be a lot longer that mine (and, I'll admit that I hit more than my fair share of shots into the hazards), but I think I'll be able to remember where I was on most of the holes.

I know, I could pick any one of the world's best to compare my round to, but how many times am I going to get a chance to compare, hole by hole with Tiger?  Chambers Bay (site of the 2015 US Open) would be the most likely opportunity.

As I wrote in the magazine article linked above, I highly recommend taking any chance you have of playing a TOUR stop host course.