The big names in world golf are ready to challenge each other in Florida where, from 2 to 5 March, the 58th edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational will take place, an elevated tournament on the PGA Tour that will offer $20,000,000 of which 3,600,000 will go to the winner.
In Orlando, there will also be 44 of the top 50 players in the world on the field. From the Spaniard Jon Rahm, number 1 and already winner of three tournaments in 2023, to the American Scottie Scheffler, second in the world ranking and reigning champion.
From the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (third) to the Americans Patrick Cantlay (fourth), Xander Schauffele (sixth), Will Zalatoris (seventh), Max Homa (eighth), Justin Thomas (ninth) and Collin Morikawa (tenth). As for the Top 10, only the Australian Cameron Smith (fifth) will be missing, who will miss the appointment because he has now moved to LIV Golf, the Arab Super League in strong opposition to the PGA Tour.
Arnold Palmer Invitational, schedule
Four years after his last success, Francesco Molinari will also be on the course of Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. In March 2019, after making a “hole in one” during the first round, the Turinese started a comeback in the fourth and final lap which, from 17th position, led him to sign the feat thanks to a partial bogey free closed in 64 (-8) shots, with eight birdies.
It was the last high note of the Piedmontese who, in this event dedicated to a golf legend like Arnold Palmer, dreams of rebirth just a few months after the Ryder Cup in Rome. Many, therefore, the champions in the race. However, there will be no Tiger Woods who won this tournament (which was played for the first time in 1966) eight times (record), the last ten years ago, in 2013.
In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced that it had entered into a new series of television rights deals for tournaments running from 2007 to 2012. CBS Sports remains the PGA Tour’s primary partner and will increase the number of tournaments broadcast on its airwaves from 16 to 19.
NBC Sports in turn will increase coverage from five to ten tournaments. The Golf Channel will instead be the dedicated pay broadcaster on cable television and will cover the first rounds of all tournaments as well as four rounds of select tournaments at the beginning and end of the season.
The agreements do not affect “Major” tournaments because the PGA Tour does not own the rights to them. The figures relating to the agreement were not disclosed, but it was declared that “the prize pool and other economic benefits for players will increase by approximately 600 million dollars compared to the previous six years, an increase of 35%”..
PGA Tour tournaments are also widely broadcast outside the United States. Up until 2006, tournaments in the UK were broadcast by Sky Sports. Subsequently, the exclusive for the United Kingdom and Ireland was won by Setanta Sports which was awarded the rights for six years with an announced expenditure of 103 million pounds.
To best ensure coverage, Setanta has created the Setanta Golf channel[6] In Italy the PGA Tour tournaments are broadcast by the Sky satellite platform.
