ORLANDO, Fla. — The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard tees off Thursday, March 5, at Bay Hill Club & Lodge with a star‑studded field set for the third Signature Event of the PGA Tour season just one week before The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach. A total of 72 golfers will vie for the $20 million purse over four rounds on the 7,466‑yard, par‑72 layout that has challenged the sport’s best for decades. Coverage begins early Thursday morning on PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, with featured groups airing through the Golf Channel later in the afternoon.
Thursday’s opening round begins with early tee times as low as 7:40 a.m. ET, and runs through the afternoon, culminating with marquee pairings teeing off near 1:30 p.m., including Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. McIlroy, a former Arnold Palmer Invitational winner, heads a loaded field that also includes Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Sungjae Im, all seeking early season momentum at one of the Tour’s most historic stops.
Early tee times pair a mix of veterans and rising challengers in the opening wave, with Joel Dahmen and amateur Daniel Bennett leading off at 7:40 a.m., followed in short succession by established pros like Jhonattan Vegas, Tom Hoge, Ryan Fox and Billy Horschel through the mid‑morning. The lineup reflects Bay Hill’s depth of competition — a course where length, precision and scrambling are often decisive in Thursday’s first round.
As the field rotates through, midday and afternoon groupings bring some of the biggest names into the spotlight. Jordan Spieth and Sam Stevens tee off around 11:55 a.m., while Brian Harman and Akshay Bhatia follow just after. Later featured pairs — including Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose at 1:10 p.m. and Scottie Scheffler with Russell Henley at 1:30 p.m. — underline how early leaders and contenders will need to manage both dry conditions and shifting wind patterns that can influence scoring and tee‑shot strategies.
Bay Hill’s position on the early PGA Tour schedule — sandwiched between a West Coast swing and the season’s unofficial “fifth major” at TPC Sawgrass — gives this week extra weight for contenders sharpening their form. McIlroy’s recent runner‑up effort and Scheffler’s quest for another signature victory highlight why this week’s opening rounds are pivotal for positioning and confidence. The “Bay Hill Bounce” — the way golfers have historically elevated their play here before big spring events — is a phrase often invoked by players and analysts alike as they chase birdies through the weekend.
Thursday’s tee times set the stage for a competitive tournament where early momentum can pay dividends. Bay Hill regularly presents wind‑influenced scoring variance that rewards precision off the tee and creativity around the greens, and Thursday’s opening round figures to separate the field early as players look to lock down comfortable positioning before Friday’s second round and the weekend’s cut. With the season’s next major championship looming, how golfers handle this first taste of Bay Hill will reverberate throughout the week.
The full list of tee times can be found here.
Whether chasing the first big win of 2026 or building form for The Players, the Arnold Palmer Invitational field will tee off early and test themselves on one of golf’s most respected and demanding courses. Fans tuning in — from early morning coverage on ESPN+ to featured groups on Golf Channel — will see the first moves in what’s likely to be an intense race to Sunday’s final round and beyond.
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