World No. 1 Scott Scheffler headlines the 72-player field for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, seeking his first win of 2025.
Scheffler’s five-shot win at Bay Hill Club and Lodge marked his second at Arnold Palmer’s course and was among his seven victories in 2024 — the most since Tiger Woods won seven tournaments in 2007.
But Scheffler’s year is off to a slow start because of a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass suffered while he prepared dinner on Christmas Day. He tied for ninth Feb. 2 during his season debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, tied for 25th at the Phoenix Open and tied for third Feb. 16 at the Genesis Invitational.
The 28-year-old remains the man to beat at Bay Hill, where he also won by a shot in 2022. But the 13-time PGA Tour champion will have to outlast a stacked field including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, the 2018 API winner, and world No. 3 Xander Schauffele, a two-time major winner in 2024 back from a rib injury that sidelined him since he tied for 30th at the season-opening The Sentry.
Storylines abound.
The field features the top 50 from the 2024 FedEx Cup standings, including rising star Ludvig Åberg, the winner of the Genesis Invitational hosted by Woods.
The 10 players from the current standings but outside the 2024 top 50 also qualify for the API. Joe Highsmith played his way into the field with his surprising win at the Cogzinant Classic in The Palm Beaches, where he carded consecutive 64s this past weekend.
The top five FedExCup points earners since the Genesis or during the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and Cognizant Classic also get in. This includes 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, a powerful 6-foot, 192-pound South African who in 2024 became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history.
The API’s four sponsor exemptions include 44-year-old Justin Rose, the recipient of the 2025 Arnie Award presented by Golf Digest to a golfer for his charitable undertakings
Auburn sophomore phenom Justin Koivun, the 19-year-old reigning college player of the year, received as the Palmer Cup Award winner.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Arnold Palmer Invitational
When: Thursday-Sunday, Bay Hill Club and Lodge
TV
Thursday: 2-6 p.m., Golf Channel
Friday: 2-6, Golf Channel
Saturday: 12:30-2:30, Golf Channel; 2:30-6, NBC
Sunday: 12:30-2:30, Golf Channel; 2:30-6, NBC
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