Are golf’s biggest stars disrespecting Arnold Palmer’s legacy?
The week is designed to be a celebration of Arnold Palmer, one of the most iconic figures in all of sports — not just the one he played and helped grow more than anyone who’s ever picked up a golf club.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this week will be the first played since the tournament’s inception in 1979 without the presence of its gracious host, who died Sept. 25 at age 87.
The moment Arnie died, one of the first thoughts to cross my mind was how special his tournament would be this year because there would not be a star in the game missing from the field out of the respect for the man who made the game what it is today for them.
Yet, amid the celebration of Arnie’s life this week, there’s a bothersome and uncomfortable undercurrent with regard to who is not playing.
Any Pollyanna hopes of a star-packed field at Bay Hill have not been realized, as just 14 of the top 25 players in the world rankings are in the field.
Curiously, some of the biggest names in the game are missing — Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to make stories out of who doesn’t play,’’ Ian Poulter told The Post. “If someone doesn’t play, I wouldn’t see it as a lack of respect to Arnie. It’s a busy calendar. There is not a player who has a PGA Tour card that doesn’t respect Arnie. The golf course might not suit everybody’s eye, and because of that, you’re going to get some guys that might not play.’’
Billy Horschel was less diplomatic than Poulter last week, when he posted on Twitter: “Disappointing. Totally understand schedule issues. But first year without AP. Honor an icon! Without him wouldn’t be in position we are in today.’’
Horschel’s position, neatly contained within 140 characters, was spot on in two ways:
Scheduling is indeed often difficult for players, particularly this year with Bay Hill sandwiched between two World Golf events — the WGC-Mexico Championship two weeks ago and next week’s WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in Austin, Texas.
But, without what Palmer has done for the game, players would be playing for a fraction of the $1.556 million winner’s check they’ll compete for this week and the countless millions from endorsements that line their pockets that Palmer’s pioneering paved the way for.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed,’’ Palmer’s grandson and current PGA Tour player Sam Saunders said of the weaker-than-it-should-be field. “It is difficult. There are a lot of big tournaments sandwiched around each other right now.’’
It’s a slippery slope to throw a blanket of criticism over every top player who is skipping this week’s event.
Mickelson, for example, is a player who belongs at Bay Hill this week because he always had an affinity for Palmer and has, in a lot of ways, modeled himself after the King in the way he treats fans.
But, is Mickelson, who beginning next week will play three tournaments in a row through the Masters, showing disrespect for Palmer’s legacy by not playing this week? He was, after all, one of only a handful of players who attended Palmer’s funeral in October. That represents more respect than playing any golf tournament.
Thomas, one of the young stars in the game, after hearing some criticism for his impending absence at Bay Hill clarified he was attending the wedding of a close friend this weekend. Should he skip that to play Bay Hill?
Scott, whose wife is pregnant in Australia, went home to be with her after the WGC-Mexico Championship and is returning for the Houston Open the week before the Masters.
The reality is these players are all independent contractors.
“Guys will come and pay their respects [and] guys won’t be [here] and will be criticized unfairly for it,’’ said Graeme McDowell, who along with Annika Sorenstam, Curtis Strange and Peter Jacobsen is serving as one of the new tournament hosts. “How do you pay your respects?’’
Ernie Els, who is playing the tournament for the 23rd time, said he understands players’ scheduling issues.
“I get it … first event without Mr. Palmer around, make an exception,’’ Els said. “But you can’t tell guys where to play. It is no disrespect to Mr. Palmer, I can tell you that.’’
This year’s field raises a concern about whether, now that Palmer is gone, more players will start skipping the event in the future — much the way the Byron Nelson Classic has faded into relative irrelevance since his passing in 2006.
“It’s very important to golf to keep what we’ve done, to keep the Arnold Palmer Invitational relevant,’’ Saunders said. “His was such a good example. We all get to play for a lot of money, but it’s about trying to do things other than just being out here for yourself. That’s what he did so well.’’