Defending champion Jason Day, the No. 2 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, heads a field that includes five of the top 10 in the world and 22 of the top 35 for next week’s $8.7 million Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Other top-10 players joining Day in the 120-player field include No. 3 Rory McIlroy, No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama, No. 6 Henrik Stenson, the reigning British Open champion, and No. 9 Rickie Fowler. The 2017 tournament begins Monday at the Championship Course at Bay Hill and will be the first played without host Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer who died in September at age 87.

“This is one of the strongest fields we’ve ever had for the tournament,” said Marci Doyle, the tournament’s chief operating officer. “The course is in terrific condition, we have a very strong purse and every day we have something special planned to celebrate Mr. Palmer’s life and legacy. It’s going to be a great week.”

Also included in the field are a host of major championship winners. Day, McIlroy and Stenson are joined by Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, Vijay Singh, Keegan Bradley, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen and John Daly. Singh is a past winner at Bay Hill.

McDowell, an Orlando resident, is serving as one of the tournament hosts along with Curtis Strange, Peter Jacobsen, Annika Sorenstam and former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

Among those receiving a sponsor exemption for next week is Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson. Saunders will hit the first ceremonial tee shot during a new opening ceremony at 11:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday on Bay Hill’s practice range.

Day won last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational thanks to a closing 2-under-par 70 and 17-under 271 total on the Championship Course. He defeated Kevin Chappell by a stroke. Stenson and Troy Merritt were three strokes back tied for third.

The winner of this year’s invitational receives $1.566 million and a three-year exemption on the PGA TOUR.

The 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard takes place March 13-19.

 

Article provided by the Arnold Palmer Invitational.