ORLANDO, Fla. — One bad club choice and swing by Billy Horschel turned a special day into a two-hour scramble to salvage his second round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Cruising along at 4-under par through 7 holes on the back nine, Horschel arrived at the daunting par-3 17th measuring a stout 238 yards Friday. Following a lengthy discussion with caddie Mark Fulcher, Horschel hit a hard 4-iron.
“Afterwards, I thought, man, maybe I should have hit a high, soft 3,” Horschel said. “We have said we’re agreed to disagree.”
Horschel’s miscue led to a double-bogey 5. The 37-year-old’s rhythm soon disappeared en route to a 1-under par 71 at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
“The swing just sort of didn’t feel nearly as good,” Horschel said.
Sitting at 6-under 138 total, the former Florida star and current Gators volunteer assistant coach remains well-positioned for the weekend but wondering what could have been.
“I thought today was going to be a special day,” he said.
A bounce-back birdie on 18 segued into a shaky front-nine 38, featuring momentum-killing bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd holes.
“But happy with the way I played the last two days and sitting in a really good spot going into the weekend,” Horschel, a native of the Space Coast, said.
Rahm starstruck by Sorenstam
Jon Rahm's first appearance in the legendary’s Palmer event came with an added bonus: 18 holes with another of the game’s icons.
During Wednesday’s Pro-Am, Rahm found himself unexpectedly paired with Annika Sörenstam, the greatest women’s player of modern era.
Suffice it to say the 27-year-old Spaniard, a formidable talent ranked No. 1 in the world, was a bit starstruck.
“I didn’t expect it,” he said. “It’s really cool that she was out here, too. There’s very few times that you get to play with the greatest of all time in any sport — and in this case you have Annika.”
In his push to become one of the game’s greats himself, Rahm, 13-time winner worldwide, did not let the five-hour round go to waste.
Obviously, Sorenstam has ample insight into being a champion. The longtime Lake Nona resident by way of Sweden posted 72 wins, including 10 majors, during her remarkable career before retiring in 2008 at 38.
“I was asking her a couple of questions about what she accomplished,” Rahm said. “We always mention that none of us are going to get close to the things that Tiger did. Imagine if she had kept going. Pretty incredible.”
Arnie’s good works
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation donated $250,000 to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to benefit pediatric oncology research. The donation, in partnership with Truist, represents the proceeds of Monday’s Pro-Am held to kick off tournament week.
The donation is the latest example of the Palmer family's extensive philanthropy in the community.
The children’s hospital and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies are among the byproducts. The API has generated tens of millions of dollars for the two hospitals.
