For those who believe that Scottie Scheffler must be off to a slower start in 2025, it is important to note that the world number one only secured his first of nine wins in 2024 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scottie Scheffler returns to action this week. And for many, he will be the overwhelming favourite to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 28-year-old has played the event four times previously, winning twice and achieving another top five finish.
Ominously for his rivals, Scheffler has followed both of his previous victories at Bay Hill by going on and winning the Masters the following month.
Of course, Bay Hill looks set to provide one of the toughest tests of the season so far. Since 2007, six winners have failed to get into double figures under par. And it seems that the organisers have a lot of power to decide just how difficult a week the world’s best will have in Florida.
Scottie Scheffler shares what’s ‘funny’ about Bay Hill ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the opening round, Scheffler explained how different the course setup can be for the signature event compared to rest of the year.
“I feel like when I’m playing good golf, I could compete on a number of different golf courses. I don’t really feel like I’ve stepped up to a golf course and been like, man it would be really tough for me to win this week. I feel like if I’m in a good spot with my game, if my swing feels well, then I should have a decent chance at winning the tournament. There’s certain golf courses that I love to compete on with their history, this being one of them,” he said.
“I’m definitely excited for this week, I’m excited to try and tackle this golf course again this year. It’s typically one of the most brutal tests that we see all year. This one’s funny because I feel like if you came here and played a month later and the rough was shorter and the greens were really soft, it would feel like a really easy golf course. But with the way they set up this tournament, it is so brutally difficult. There’s just such a drastic difference on this course between normal play and the way we play it. And so, it’s just an interesting place to play and it challenges us in a variety of ways for sure.”
Scheffler asked to compare Bay Hill with Torrey Pines
Scheffler was then asked to compare the challenge of playing at Bay Hill with Torrey Pines. Of course, Scheffler was in the field for the Genesis Invitational which was moved to the South Course at Torrey from Riviera.
He certainly did not have his best stuff that week, yet still managed to finish in a tie for third. The two-time Masters champion did struggle to decide between the two courses, but noted that the task at Torrey rarely gets easier.
“A lot of it’s weather dependent. Usually, this tournament, the conditions of the golf course are so difficult and that’s what makes it challenging. Torrey Pines, you can play it wet and firm, I think it’s still going to be really hard,” he added.
“Around this golf course, if you don’t get a lot of wind, and the greens are pretty soft, the scores would be pretty different than they are. But every year we come here, it’s typically windy in central Florida and the greens are always really firm and the rough is about that long, so it’s pretty challenging. But day to day, I would say Torrey Pines would probably just because of the length of the course, it’s so long and cold air on the ocean.”
Scheffler was one of those who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational without reaching double figures, having triumphed with a score of five under par back in 2022.
There may not be many amateur golfers looking to sign up to play Bay Hill anytime soon if it is a similar score which wins this year.
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