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Bay Hill is the resort that Arnold Palmer built. He owns the place, his golfing academy is based here and the whole facility is built around the greatest golfer of all time. It doesn't come as a surprise therefore that the greatest golfer of this era, Tiger Woods plays every tournament held here and has won it the small matter of 5 times. It helps that he lives just down the road!
Hard But Fair: Bay Hill in Orlando.
The Inside Track - This true test of a golf course dictates that the winner will invariably have multi PGA Tour victories to their name. Those looking for a first Tour win or Tour rookies WON'T win here. Look for players with the game and mental strength to be 'major' contenders, who won't be afraid to triumph in an invariably close finish down the stretch. Expect the greens to be incredibly fast and firm.
The tournament has been dominated by players based in Florida. Orlando based players thrive.
Course Essentials - Par 70 - 7,267 yds - Grass - Bermudagrass (Tees, fairways, greens, rough); Poa annua (Fairways); Poa trivialis (Greens) Course Set Up: Par 3s = 4 Par 4s = 12 Pars 5s = 2
Course Difficulty - Ranked 18 (out of 54) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2008. Tranquil course conditions brought the difficulty down from that of 2007.
Course Set Up - The Bay Hill course can best be described as really good and really hard. Its a fair test between power and ball striking. It can't be over powered, but accurate 'bombing' helps. The course has been extended slightly to 7,267 yds for 2009. In 2007 the course was converted from a Par 72 to Par 70 by reducing the 4th and 16th holes from easy Par 5s to tremendously challenging Par 4s.
Water is in play on a majority of holes. Shot shape is important as there are a number of challenging 'dog legs' involving water. Off the fairways, rough depth is traditionally 4 inches, with some trees in play on specific holes. The rough is not penal but enough to turn inaccuracy into par saves rather than birdies.
Greens in the main have large putting surfaces, but are nearly all multi tiered and undulating, making putting tough.
Winning Score - Dependant on weather conditions, but with decent weather forecast, expect the winner to shoot no lower than 270 ten under par.
Player Attributes - Look for players who can drive over 280 yds in tandem with +70% accuracy. Decent ball Striking (Driving & GIR combined) is essential. To win players will require Greens In Regulation (GIR%) of 70% or better. Decent Par 4 and Par 5 performance wins the tournament. A player can only afford 6 bogies over 72 holes.
Past 10 Year Winners - 2008 Tiger Woods, 2007 V.J. Singh, 2006 Rod Pampling, 2005 Kenny Perry, 2004 Chad Campbell, 2003 Tiger Woods, 2002 Tiger Woods, 2001 Tiger Woods, 2000 Tiger Woods, 1999 Tim Herron.
Predictor Picks - Here Expert Tips - Published Tuesday 2200
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