Golf returns to Bay Hill and to some semblance of cheers
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tyrrell Hatton had vivid memories when he returned to Bay Hill, most of them the feeling of pure iron shots on the closing holes or his heart rate as he tried to navigate 20 feet in two putts on a baked green for his first PGA Tour victory.
Not to be overlooked were the ears.
Hatton received an enormous ovation after he rolled in a short par putt to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It wasn’t the loudest ever at Bay Hill, not with Tiger Woods winning eight times or Palmer hitting driver off the deck onto the 18th green in his final appearance.
But it was the last big cheer in golf.
“It’s kind of hard to remember the cheers, really,” Hatton said Wednesday. “We’ve played a lot of golf since then with obviously no fans.”
That’s starting to change. The Houston Open last fall allowed daily ticket sales for 2,000. The Phoenix Open had only a fraction of its typical attendance, but at 5,000 a day, it was still something.
That’s about what Bay Hill is anticipating this week, with tournament officials saying attendance will be limited to 25% capacity. A limited number of fans will be allowed in subsequent weeks at least through the Masters.
Even during the pro-am Wednesday, where Bryson DeChambeau tried (unsuccessfully) to drive over all the water on the right-toleft, 555-yard sixth hole, spectators milled about the course and the practice area.
Back to normal? Not entirely. But getting there.
“It will be nice having a limited number of fans out there again, just to kind of give a bit more of an atmosphere,” Hatton said. “And hopefully, I can do something worth cheering about.”
The Arnold Palmer Invitational was a big step for Hatton, the Englishman who since has starred on the golf course and in the latest European Tour social media video on anger management.
Bay Hill was the last PGA Tour event before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months. Hatton contended in his next two events after the restart, and then he picked up the biggest win of his career at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where he used to attend as a kid. He started this year winning in Abu Dhabi against a strong field.
Hatton was No. 31 in the world before Bay Hill a year ago. Now he is No. 6, making him the top-ranked player in the field.
The stars are not out at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, mainly due to its spot on the schedule — it follows marquee events at Riviera and a World Golf Championship in Florida, with The Players Championship next week and the Masters approaching.
Rory McIlroy is playing, and Jordan Spieth makes his debut at Bay Hill. The 27-year-old from Dallas never has been able to squeeze it into his schedule with a busy West Coast swing, a World Golf Championship and then the Texas events that precede the Masters. This year, he was ineligible for the WGC for the first time in eight years.
It’s a tough course — last year was particularly difficult because it was dry and windy — and Spieth figures it can only help as he tries to restore his game.
“Without being in last week, I thought this week would be a really good opportunity to play a difficult golf course,” he said. “And honestly, I haven’t had much success at The Players Championship, so being able to get some reps and continue trying to work hard on the game leading into The Players could really help next week, as well.”
He twice had chances to win during the West Coast swing, in Phoenix and Pebble Beach. Spieth shot a 61 in Phoenix, a round Billy Horschel remembers because of the putts and the reaction to them.
“I was playing with Jordan when he shot that 61 on Saturday and he made a big putt at No. 16 for birdie from about 30 feet,” Horschel said. “And, I mean, there was only a couple thousand fans around that hole, but it was a really large cheer. And then he drained a massive bomb on No. 17 for birdie. Another really big cheer.
“It was the first time since The Players Championship that you heard a roar that … it gave you goose bumps.”
TOP PERFORMERS
Kelly Benson, New Canaan: The senior forward assisted on both New Canaan goals as the Rams knocked off Greenwich 2-0 for the second time in five days Saturday at the Darien Ice House.
Devon and Teagan Cavalier, Trumbull/St. Joseph: The sisters had a huge night, combining for six goals and seven assists in the Eagles’ 11-5 win over Stamford/Westhill/Staples last Thursday. Teagan, a sophomore, scored twice and had five assists for seven points, and Devon, a junior, scored four goals and had two assists for six points.
Morgan Dall, Greenwich: The junior amassed 45 saves during a 2-0 loss to New Canaan on Saturday night at the Darien Ice House.
Maddie Epke, Guilford: Epke, a junior, hit a milestone with her 100th career goal in Guilford’s 9-6 victory over the Daniel Hand co-op on Saturday. Epke led the Grizzlies with eight points, scoring five goals and dishing out three assists.
Mackenzie Gardner, West Haven/SHA: The senior co-captain has led the West Haven defense and had 10 blocked shots in a pair of victories this week. She also dished out one assist to help West Haven/SHA remain unbeaten at 5-0.
Meadow Gilchrist,
Stamford/Westhill/Staples: Gilchrist, a senior, had two goals and two assists as SWS edged the Fairfield co-op 4-3 on Monday at Terry Conners Rink. With SWS trailing 3-2, she assisted on the equalizer by Paige Tuccinardi with 14:10 remaining. Gilchrist then netted the game-winner with 5:57 to play.
McKenna Harden, New Canaan: Harden, a senior co-captain, led a pair of great defensive efforts as the Rams shut out Greenwich 2-0 in back-to-back games last week. The defensive corps includes freshmen Lexie Tully and Maisie Koo, sophomore Amanda Benson and junior Alla Duane.
Nelle Kniffin, Darien: Kniffin, a senior co-captain, had a hat trick as the Blue Wave rolled to a 9-0 win over Trumbull/St. Joseph on Saturday in Shelton.
Tori LaCroix, Simsbury: LaCroix, a senior, came through with a shutout on senior night, making 16 saves in a 3-0 win over the Suffield co-op. Simsbury remains unbeaten this season.
Teagan Mabrysmith, Suffield co-op: The Wildcats’ sophomore goalie collected 43 saves and earned her second shutout of the season as Suffield topped the Avon co-op 2-0 last Friday.
Megan McCarthy, Trumbull/St. Joseph: The senior co-captain delivered a hat trick in Trumbull’s 9-1 victory over the Wilton/
Norwalk co-op on Sunday. Sophomores Teagan Cavaliere and Amanda Lepore each had two goals and one assist.
Eva Smith, Masuk coop: The Panthers’ junior goalie stopped 24 of 25 shots to get a 5-1 win over Hamden last Wednesday.
Molly Walsh, Simsbury: Walsh scored the equalizer with one second remaining in regulation, and Mackenzie Chapman scored 30 seconds into the overtime as the Trojans rallied for a dramatic 2-1 win over the ETB Storm last Thursday.
GAMES TO WATCH
Suffield vs. ETB Storm at Newington Ice Arena, Friday, 8:30 p.m.: Suffield shut out ETB 4-0 in a first meeting, and the Storm will look to get even. ETB is 3-5, with three of the five losses coming by one goal.
West Haven/SHA vs. Amity co-op at Astorino Rink, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.: One of three unbeaten girls hockey teams in the state, the West Haven/SHA co-op has been clicking, winning every game by multiple goals. Starting Thursday, the Sharks will play four games in six days, and Amity, last year’s SCC runner-up, is a big challenge.
New Canaan vs. Darien at Darien Ice House, Saturday, 8 p.m.: This match-up always has a championship feeling. The two rivals have combined to win the last four state titles and clashed in last year’s FCIAC final, won by the Wave. This is the second of three meetings between the two teams.
Greenwich vs. Trumbull/St. Joseph at The Rinks at Shelton, 8:30 p.m.: This wouldn’t have been a highlighted game at the start of the season, but Trumbull/St. Joseph has taken a step forward despite a short bench. The Eagles topped Greenwich 2-1 earlier this season and the Cards would like nothing better than to get a bit of revenge here.
Guilford vs. West Haven/SHA at Bennett Rink, Tuesday, 5 p.m.: A possible SCC championship game preview has defending champion Guilford playing unbeaten West Haven/SHA. The Sharks took the first meeting 5-3, but Guilford, with Maddie Epke leading the way, is the defending conference champ.
Darien vs. New Canaan at Darien Ice House, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: The rivals get no rest this week as they square off for the second time in four days.
Suffield co-op vs. Avon co-op at Newington Ice Arena, Wednesday, 3:55 p.m.: Suffield and Avon are tied for second place in the CCC standings and are meeting for the third time this season. Suffield has taken the first two games 5-1 and 2-0.