Orlando Magic Daily
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2017 Central Florida 85 Nos. 51-68: Big Expectations

By Philip Rossman-Reich

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - April 23: Giles Barnes #14 of Orlando City SC in action during the New York City FC Vs Orlando City SC regular season MLS game at Yankee Stadium on April 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - April 23: Giles Barnes #14 of Orlando City SC in action during the New York City FC Vs Orlando City SC regular season MLS game at Yankee Stadium on April 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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Rory McIlroy
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 19: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot from a bunker on the 14th hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 19, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

67. Rory McIlroy, PGA TOUR

Rory McIlroy was supposed to be the next Tiger Woods. He had all the makings of it as he built up his majors credential. But McIlroy has struggled to gain that mantle of late.

Jordan Spieth has come onto the scene to steal that title away. He won the Open Championship this year to get one major from winning the career grand slam. Now it seems as though it is race between McIlroy and Spieth to get there first. And Dustin Johnson overtook everyone to become the No. 1 player in the world. He seems set to win the FedEx Cup after Sunday’s win.

Still, McIlroy has an undoubted draw. He is one of the big names on the PGA TOUR. When McIlroy shows up on the course, everyone in the golf world is watching.

And that is one of the many reasons why the Arnold Palmer Invitational remains one of the best tournaments on the PGA TOUR schedule. It is viewed and prepared for as a big prep for the Masters, which usually takes place a few weeks later. The length of the course is a good prep for the distance needed at Augusta.

And so it is no coincidence that fans have turned up for decades to watch this tournament at the Bay Hill Golf and Country Club in Southwest Orange County.

So while Spieth has skipped Bay Hill through his short career and Johnson left it off his pre-Master schedule this year, McIlroy is the biggest star to come to Orlando’s premiere sporting event.

McIlroy finished fourth in last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational with a 9-under score. That was his best finish since he made Bay Hill part of his regular schedule.

McIlroy struggled mightily this season on tour — he failed to win in any of his 12 starts. It has caused him to slip to fourth in the Official World Golf Rankings. He is still playing through the FedEx Cup Playoffs. But McIlroy is the exact kind of player who suceeds at Bay Hill. It seems like if he is going to break through for a big year next year, it will start in Orlando.