Watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational special from WESH 2 Sports

It’s *** week we gather around the game of golf to celebrate *** legacy that lasts much longer than *** handshake on *** hill or even *** Sunday evening draped in *** red alpaca cardigan. Win this tournament, it’s just *** dream come true and it’s still crazy to think that I did that. This is Mr. Palmer’s tournament at Mr. Palmer’s adopted home. This tournament has always had such an extra meaning and it really. Special week for me because I was able to really see what *** what an unbelievable man he was. The impact goes much further than golf. They all remember my father. They too want to be great ambassadors to the game. That’s our obligation here to uh to carry on his legacy. Arnold. From the philanthropy to even the food, this is *** celebration. It’s Orlando’s signature event. And this is West 2’s special coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Welcome to beautiful Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Arnold Palmer’s home, his adopted home. The fans are back in the stands, the golfers back on the course. Everybody eager to see who’s gonna climb that leaderboard. You never know what you’re gonna see at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, but you know. It’s going to look pretty good. All right. Welcome in to Bay Hill. We’re just off the 17th hole. This is Kristen Lago. I’m Darren Stoltz. Zach Maskovich will join us in *** bit. Kristen, round one in the books. We saw some great golf today. Yes, you can always look forward to world-class golf here at Bay Hill, but just *** world class experience as well. I know I get happy every time it’s API week here. It’s Orlando’s signature event for *** reason. Let’s check out some of the stories. Lines coming into this Arnold Palmer Invitational. Russell Henley trying to go back to back and win the cardigan again. He’d be the first one to do that in more than *** decade. Scotty Scheffler is the number 1 ranked golfer in the world. He’s got *** chance to be the only 3-time champ other than some guy named Tiger. Yes, good company, who’s won 8 of them. But who’s going to break through? Is it going to be somebody like Billy Horschel, maybe Colin Murakawa came up. Stroke short last year. You just don’t know what you’re going to see, but you do know you’re going to see some good golf. Yes, because this field is absolutely full of star power, right? You talked about one of the names there, world number 1 Scotty Scheffler is here trying to join Tiger Woods as the only 3-time champion at the event. I mean, 8 times is still crazy to think about, right? It’s fun to look at that 14 year stretch and just go, wow. Every golfer in the top 10 of the official world golf rankings is also here, and 19 of the top 20 are here in Orlando to compete. And in the field, 5 former champions on hand. Two of them played together today. We’ll get to that in *** bit. And the best are all back just ready to compete for him. It’s definitely *** place I always enjoy coming back and playing, you know, obviously with Mr. Mr. Palmer’s legacy and the way the golf course is, I mean, it’s very challenging and so it’s always ***, it’s, it’s always *** fun test, I think for us as players, and so, yeah, it’s gonna be back for sure. I don’t know if you really get over any of your losses, you know. I think whenever you show up at *** certain event, you just You think back at *** lot of great shots and then you think back at some shots that you kind of let slip away. You just keep going and looking at yourself as just saying, hey, like we’re gonna keep knocking at the door and hopefully we just knock it down at some point and be able to build off of that. You must play boldly to win. Now you hear from Scotty Scheffler there talking about the legacy of Arnold Palmer. The golf is what gets you in the door here, but it’s not the only thing going on. That’s what I love about this tournament. It’s so inclusive, whether you’re *** big golf fan or you’re not. It’s about community, charity, just so many things encapsulated here at the tournament. The legacy of Arnold Palmer is something that is very, very important, not only to this tournament, but of course Mr. Palmer’s family. As I’ve gotten to do over the past few years, I sat down with Amy Saunders, Mr. Palmer’s daughter, to talk about how they’re hoping to keep his legacy living through this event. I actually think it’s gotten easier Darren. I think that, um, over the last 10 years not only have I learned *** lot, um, but I’ve appreciated even more profoundly, um, the impact that my father had on golf on people, um, on the mission of our foundation, um, and how relevant it is today. And how important his relevance should be in what we’re navigating today. We heard so much how much your dad loved hosting and loved hosting the best golfers in the world to come here. How much of that have you taken on or has this tournament taken on? I’m always trying to remember what differentiates this. and I hope that not only do I want to represent that and Sam and our family does, but I think that everyone volunteers, um, our amazing executive leadership committee, uh they all remember my father and I think they too want to be great ambassadors to the game, but they wanna continue to talk about his legacy and the impact it had and it’s why they’re proud to still be here and spending the time and energy and effort that they do to keep the tournament going. Certainly *** special stop on the PGA Tour. Well, play began today, but the events really got going Monday. I was. All right, I was honored to be the MC of the junior clinic on Monday as *** couple of guys in the field, Chris Kirk and Daniel Bennett, put on *** show for quite *** few kids in the stands and their parents. It was all to celebrate youth golf, so many far-reaching impacts from this tournament, whether it’s clubs to kids in need or entrance fees or what have you. And they still put on *** pretty good show. Don’t let The game What Arnie meant to me, who he was, um, you know what he meant to the game and you know, outside of the game, knowing him as well as I did and what he stood for and you know what other people thought of him, to me it’s, you know, kind of one of the greatest honors you can get in the game. When you think about the Arnold Palmer Invitational, there’s several things that come to mind pristine fairways, tradition, and world-class competition. But this week at Bay Hill, the fairways, they taste *** little better too. Trust me, I would know. Back again at the API is the Foodies and Fairways program sponsored by Mastercard, which brings local Central Florida businesses and gives them *** spot at Orlando’s signature event. One of our, like original houses in Doctor Phillips, and we, we always joked if we sit on the, like the roof of our house, we could see Bay Hill. I don’t know how we got in it. I have no idea, but we are so excited. Like my brother and sister are flying in, you know, it’s like, we’re gonna have so much fun. Each of the three businesses selected represents *** different. aspect of what makes the API so special, the tournament all about celebrating *** shared love of the game. Kelly’s born of *** shared love for ice cream. My husband and I started making ice cream in our dining room in 2014, 2013. Brought it to work. I was *** nurse at the time. My husband was an accountant, and we just saw *** need for ice cream in the Orlando community. But it goes even further. Arnold Palmer’s legacy all about doing things boldly. Pam Thomas from Pammy Sammy’s, she knows *** thing or two about being bold. My husband and I met almost 50 years ago in. Rock, Arkansas, playing music. We still like to rock out. Different business owners from different backgrounds, but coming together in one place. That type of inclusive community, *** direct reflection of the tournament’s namesake. I think just to be in front of, um, the guests that are there is an amazing opportunity, and it ties into Arnold Palmer. I used to work there. It was just like *** full 360 for me. My mission statement is feed the soul, craft with love, and serve from the heart. And we get to do that every day. Um, not *** lot of people, you know, most people understand it. Some don’t, but, um, love is love and, you know, we just want to make people happy. Kelly’s Ice Cream, Pammy’s Sammy’s, Piccolo Coffee Company, all at Bay Hill. Proof that foodies and fairways will always go hand in hand. And I did warn everybody watching at the top of the show that I like to have *** lot of fun at this tournament. Food is fun. I had to test it all out, all very good as it is year after year, and I think it’s just so awesome that year after year, uh, the Arnold Palmer Invitational continues to support local businesses and bring them in. You can check them out right off the 18th tee box, and it’s something different every year. It’s not just the burgers, which were fantastic, or the sandwiches. Now we have ice cream and coffee. It’s everything. Yeah, I highly. Recommend, uh, you try the Arnold Palmer sorbet. That’s new. Just *** little inside tip. All right, well, coming up, we still have plenty to get to, including one of the biggest events connected to this tournament, the Arnold Palmer Cup. Yeah, more than 20 golfers in the field competed in that event. One of them still an amateur at Texas. We’ll catch up with him next. Plus, Mr. Palmer, you already know who he is if you’re watching this. He wasn’t just the king, he was *** friend to so many. His nickname was the King. But he was the best friend that the game of golf has ever had. And I would also add that he’s among the best friends that the city of Orlando has ever had. Welcome back to Bay Hill. One round is done. 3 more still await, but the headline today, Daniel Berger, the former Florida State Seminole, the Sunshine State native, going 9 under par, Best opening round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in more than *** decade. Now still *** very long way to go, but *** bogey-free 63. Pretty good. 4 career wins. Last one came more than 5 years ago. He is off to *** very hot start here at Bay Hill. Speaking of *** hot start, I’m now joined by Zach Maskovich. Zach, it was real hot outside today, very sunny, sunny. You can probably see that, uh, the sun got the best of me. It’s OK. Uh, when you think of Arnold Palmer, you don’t necessarily think of college golf, but the Arnold Palmer. It is *** very unique international team event and it’s very impactful on this event as well. Yes, it’s *** college event, international event. The 12 best men, 12 best women from the United States against an international team of the same numbers and the LPGA, the PGA Tour, they are filled with Arnold Pup, Arnold Palmer Cup alumni. It’s *** great glimpse into the future of golf. Arnold Palmer Cup is one of the best, one of the best, uh, Amateur golf team events that’s out there that not many people know about. But the team here at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is changing that. This event meant so much to Arnold Palmer, who spent his life growing the game of golf. I’m so excited for people to be able to start, start following and, uh, really becoming fans of, of what the Arnold Palmer Cup is because I know it’s incredibly meaningful to us. It was something my granddad loved, and, um, it, it. It’s really great to see the connection continue to grow and evolve here. And that connection is stronger than ever this year. 24 players in the field are Palmer Cup alumni, including some of the biggest names in golf, such as Colin Murakawa, Justin Thomas, and last year’s API champion, Russell Henley. Playing on *** Palmer Cup team can create *** lifelong bond. It’s funny because there’s, there’s *** bunch of guys that I played with on those teams that, That are still that are in the field this week and, and that, you know, I still have, have played with, you know, uh, 20 years later. This year’s Palmer Cup exemption is the University of Texas sophomore Daniel Bennett, and he got the exemption not necessarily for his play, but for his character, *** very important trait to Mr. Palmer. Most of the time you earn your way in through *** win in *** college event or something like that, but yeah, obviously, uh, got in. Through *** peer vote, which I, I wasn’t expecting because I, I probably played the worst out of anyone that week, so, um, yeah, obviously it just shows you if you treat others well and um uh they obviously respect you back, so yeah, really cool to be here and just super grateful for this opportunity. Bennett was just 10 years old when the king passed, but the massive legacy Arnie left behind continues to be felt by younger generations. You see his character and the way he’s kind of grown golf. Has been, I mean, it’s just been amazing for, for golf, obviously, um, I saw his bag on the range, on the right of the range and it was kind of like, wow, like, um, he used to be here and uh yeah, just awesome to be on, on property and um kind of living in his legacy. Now, if you come out to Bay Hill this weekend, you’ll see some of the caddies on the back of their bibs. You’ll see the Arnold Palmer umbrella logo that signifies that they were an alumni from the Arnold Palmer Cups. That’s some pretty cool stuff. And there are *** lot of them out here. Daniel, of course, part of the younger generation of golf, but they still have that connection to Mr. Palmer. One of the reasons why his grandson, Sam Saunders, we’re gonna shuffle things around and we’ll chat with Sam live next. Stay with us. The great things in my life is having *** parent or *** child come up and say thank you for the hospital and what has happened at the hospital, and you can’t beat that. You just cannot beat that and to see the happiness in their face when they tell you how great it was. What *** moment that of course Mr. Palmer talking about the impact from the hospital, from the philanthropy joined now by his grandson Sam Saunders. Sam, you’re still working with the Arnold Palmer group. You got *** big role in the golf course this week. Just as you come into *** week like this and you know you’ve talked about it, you want to have *** tournament that honors the legacy of your grandfather. How much does that not just weigh on you but motivate you for something like this? Oh, absolutely, it’s, it’s what we’re all here for. I mean, he made such an incredible impact on the game. He was so excited to have the eyes of the world on Orlando and on his home here at Bay Hill. It’s ***, it’s *** meaningful week and it’s something we’re proud to really, you know, carry on. Well, you were on his back one of the last times he played this event, and we’ve seen the video over and over again, but what do you remember about times on the golf course and maybe not necessarily that day because maybe it didn’t go well for you. I don’t know. Great last shot, but what do you remember of playing golf and being on this course with him? Yeah, so many memories here, um, you know. Learning so much from him, spending time with him here, watching him interact with others and treat people the right way, that, that was what made him special, obviously, and, and to be able to to learn the game of golf and, and, you know, try to emulate that in my life has been, uh, it’s an incredible place to be. One of the things we always hear, you know, obviously it’s play boldly to win, but *** tough fair test. You’ve had *** big role in reshaping some spots on the golf course. How do you feel like this tournament has evolved just from strictly *** setup standpoint? Yeah, I mean, and I, I, I, I, I’m, I’m humbled and I’m flattered, but I cannot take credit. We have an incredible team here. Chris Flynn, our director of ergonomy, is, is absolutely the best and such *** great team. I worked on the maintenance crew here over 20 years ago, and we have staff that have been on that crew since then. So it’s so cool to be, to be here and to be able to be *** part of that team now and watch the progress and the strides that they’ve made. So it’s it’s really incredible and and the feedback from the players and from the tour this. has been overwhelmingly positive and that’s something that I’m really proud of because you know if you’re not looking at how you can get better each and every year, you know you’re not doing your job. So I think to know that they feel like each year they show up, they know what they’re getting at Bay Hill, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be fair, but it just keeps getting *** little bit better each year. It’s really rewarding. You played it 8 times as *** pro. That score was really low today from Daniel Berger. We’re going to see more of that this weekend. I think Daniel did really well getting it while it was there, you know, there were some accessible hole locations. The wind was down *** little early, but you saw, you know, the guy, the scores changed this afternoon as that wind came up. The greens are going to continue to get firmer and faster throughout the week, which is *** little daunting to think about because they’re already there, but it’s going to be exciting and you know you love seeing some birdies because I know there will be some challenges throughout the weekend. Thank you, Sam. Appreciate your time. Thank you. We got *** big tournament ahead of us. 3 more rounds of fun. And torment for somebody. We’ll be right back. Welcome back live just off the 17th hole here at Bay Hill Club and Lodge joined now by the entire Westho sports team. This was *** great day of golf. Zach, what’d you see other than the sun when we were out there for the first time? Yeah, Obviously, Daniel Berger is the story out there going 9 under in *** very impressive round out there today. Colin Moorecal is *** guy to watch out for. He ended eagle birdie birdie. He’s right, right there, almost near the top of the lead, but then it, it really shifted. We just heard Sam Saunders say it. The morning scores were low, the afternoon, it got *** lot harder. Those tee times flip tomorrow. Yes, so we’ll see how the morning guys can bounce back. Berger was burning hot today, Kristen. I mean, I think Zach said it best, but I love the unpredictability of this course. I’m excited to see how things turn tomorrow. Let’s see some of the highlights from today, of course, Russell Henley and Scotty Scheffler were paired together. Those were the last 3 champions at this course. Scotty Scheffler, the world number 1, came in not exactly excited after his 18 holes. Scotty on 1 for birdie. It’s good. He finishes tied for 18th in *** big pod there. He is 2 under. Par Johnny Vegas looked like he was going to be the leader after 18 holes, but he kind of faltered over the final few. On 18, knocks it in there, 4 strokes off the lead. But yes, Daniel Berger, the former Seminole, 9 birdies, 0 bogeys. He has *** 3 stroke lead on the field. It was there and he took it. And how about Rickie Fowler, the Arnie Award winner for 2026. He really liked his performance on 18, saves *** par in *** big, big group tied just inside the top 10. I’m happy with it. I mean, you could. Gotten *** little bit more out of it, but pars were good. It was tough to get the ball close and you had to take advantage of par 5s. We got 2 of those, kind of *** bonus on 17. Nice little love tap from Arnie on 18. It’s going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging week. You can already see the courses. The greens are like white, you know, and so *** little bit of wind, *** little bit less moisture, and it’s it’s going to be like the US Open, I think. When you come to Bay Hill to play this event, you know what you’re getting. So here is *** look at how things stand after 18 holes. Daniel Berger, 3 strokes ahead of the field, but the guy who finished 2nd last year is sitting there right in 2nd place. There’s gonna be *** lot of movement on these boards over the next couple of days, and it’s gonna be fun to see it. I liked hearing Sam say, you know. It was there. He took it, but don’t expect to really see that again over the next couple of days. Well, yes, I think it was Ludwig Abert who said it was unbelievable to see that. You don’t see that often here, so we’ll see what happens. Keep an eye on the Arnie Award winners. Last year was Justin Rose. He had *** very good tournament. Rickie Fowler in the afternoon put up *** -3 out there today. So we’ll see if Rickie Fowler. Can come away with his first, uh, API. Yeah, and I think Sam set it off. The 6 under that Ludwig put up today in the afternoon, he said that was the best run of the day. So maybe watch out for him as well. All right, for Zach, Kristen, and everybody here behind the scenes and back at our Winter Park studios, thanks for hanging out with us once again from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. We’ll see you again next year.

Updated: 11:15 PM EST Mar 6, 2026

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The Arnold Palmer Invitational, the PGA Tour’s only stop in Central Florida, is underway at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge, featuring the world’s best golfers competing for the famed red alpaca cardigan. Each golfer ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings will be in the field, as well as 19 of the top 20 golfers. Russell Henley will take the course as the tournament’s defending champion, aiming to become the first back-to-back winner at this event since Matt Every won in 2014 and 2015. >> Watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational special from WESH 2 Sports in the player above Live from Bay Hill – Friday updatesLive from Bay Hill – Thursday updatesEarlier this week Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026Coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational from Bay Hill will start on Monday, leading up to the first round of play on Thursday.

ORLANDO, Fla. —

Each golfer ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings will be in the field, as well as 19 of the top 20 golfers. Russell Henley will take the course as the tournament’s defending champion, aiming to become the first back-to-back winner at this event since Matt Every won in 2014 and 2015.

>> Watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational special from WESH 2 Sports in the player above

Live from Bay Hill – Friday updates

Live from Bay Hill – Thursday updates

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World number 1 Scottie Scheffler’s quest for a third red cardigan is underway. Scheffler is playing with @APinv defending champ Russell Henley pic.twitter.com/YoqhKCTjxj

— Zach Maskavich WESH (@ZachMaskavich) March 5, 2026

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Earlier this week

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World #1 and two-time #APInv Champion Scottie Scheffler is back chasing a third red cardigan

Would join an elite group of three time winners at The King’s tournament pic.twitter.com/rx39oi7BlY

— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) March 3, 2026

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Rickie Fowler has been named the winner of the 2026 Golf Digest Arnie Award

The award honors Mr. Palmer’s legacy and a golfer who embodies his spirit

Clearly an emotional moment for Rickie who was close with Mr. Palmer pic.twitter.com/TZ4Wh8j1HN

— Daren Stoltzfus WESH (@DarenStoltzfus) March 3, 2026

Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026

Coverage of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational from Bay Hill will start on Monday, leading up to the first round of play on Thursday.

Watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational special from WESH 2 Sports

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