The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a PGA Tour golf tournament. It is played each March at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, a private golf resort in Orlando, Florida which has been owned by Arnold Palmer since 1976 and where he has his winter home. The event was founded in 1979 as a successor to the Florida Citrus Open Invitational, which was played at Rio Pinar Golf Club on the East side of Orlando. It has had a number of different names since then, most of them including "Bay Hill." The tournament was played for the first time under the Palmer name in 2007. As a restricted field event on the PGA Tour, only the first 70 players on the previous year's money-list are guaranteed invites.[ Tiger Woods won what was then known as the Bay Hill Invitational four years in a row from 2000 to 2003. This is one of only four occasions that a golfer has won the same event four times in a row on the Tour. In 2004 he was one shot off the lead after opening with a 67, but followed up with back to back 74s on the Friday and Saturday, and ended the final round on Sunday in a tie for 46th place. Woods then won the 2008 and 2009 tournaments, both times with birdie putts on the final hole.
Past Winners Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 2009 Tiger Woods 2008 Tiger Woods 2007 Vijay Singh Bay Hill Invitational presented by MasterCard 2006 Rod Pampling 2005 Kenny Perry 2004 Chad Campbell Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires 2003 Tiger Woods 2002 Tiger Woods Bay Hill Invitational 2001 Tiger Woods 2000 Tiger Woods 1999 Tim Herron 1998 Ernie Els 1997 Phil Mickelson 1996 Paul Goydos Nestle Invitational 1995 Loren Roberts 1994 Loren Roberts 1993 Ben Crenshaw 1992 Fred Couples 1991 Andrew Magee 1990 Robert Gamez 1989 Tom Kite Hertz Bay Hill Classic 1988 Paul Azinger 1987 Payne Stewart 1986 Dan Forsman 1985 Fuzzy Zoeller Bay Hill Classic 1984 Gary Koch 1983 Mike Nicolette 1982 Tom Kite 1981 Andy Bean 1980 Dave Eichelberger Bay Hill Citrus Classic 1979 Bob Byman Florida Citrus Open 1978 Mac McLendon 1977 Gary Koch 1976 Hale Irwin 1975 Lee Trevino 1974 Jerry Heard 1973 Buddy Allin 1972 Jerry Heard Florida Citrus Invitational 1971 Arnold Palmer 1970 Bob Lunn Florida Citrus Open Invitational 1969 Ken Still 1968 Dan Sikes 1967 Julius Boros 1966 Lionel Hebert
