5 Big Names Missing The Arnold Palmer Invitational

It's a big week on the PGA Tour as another Signature Event takes place, with the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill returning to our screens.

The Orlando event is one of the circuit's most prestigious and with its elite, limited field means that only the tour's best and most in-form players are teeing it up. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler headlines along with 2018 champion Rory McIlroy and World No.2 Xander Schauffele, who returns from a rib injury.

But what about those who haven't quite made it into the field? We take a look at some of the star names missing this week...

Jordan Spieth

The three-time Major champion went under the knife in August to repair his wrist, and his time on the sidelines inevitably led to a drop down the world rankings.

The Texan received sponsor's invitations into both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, but he has not received one for Bay Hill this week despite a promising return from his time out.

Spieth was T4th at the WM Phoenix Open and T9 at the Cognizant Classic so looks well on his way to winning again. He currently ranks 64th in the world.

"I'm bummed not to be there next week. It's been a great, great place for me, and I really wish I was getting that start, but I needed to play better injured golf last year, I guess," he said at the Cognizant.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler is another huge name in the world of golf, and, like Spieth, he received invites to both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational.

He wasn't able to get an invite this time around so misses what is surely one of his favorite events. The Californian has paid tribute to Arnold Palmer in the past and always plays at Bay Hill, with this being the first year since 2016 that he is not in the field.

Fowler currently ranks 95th in the world after an indifferent start to the year, which has seen him post a best finish of T18th in five starts.

Tiger Woods

Woods was ready to play at the Genesis Invitational three weeks ago in what would have been his first start of 2025 but withdrew due to the emotional toil of his mother's death.

He is exempt into this week's field and it's an event he has won eight times, but is either not in the right headspace or is saving himself for TPC Sawgrass...or perhaps he is just continuing to work on his game ahead of The Masters.

Jake Knapp

Mr 59 made history last week at PGA National in shooting the PGA Tour's 15th sub-60 round but a costly triple bogey on the back nine on Sunday cost him the title and a spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Knapp missed out by two spots on the Aon Swing 5, which gave the top five players at the Mexico Open and Cognizant Classic spots at Bay Hill. Had he holed his 7ft birdie putt on the 72nd hole, he would have finished T4th and made it into this week's field.

Nicolai Hojgaard

The Danish star, who played on Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, is another who agonisingly just missed out on a start at Bay Hill this week.

Hojgaard finished 6th in the Aon Swing 5 after finishing 8th in Mexico and T18 in Florida.

The 23-year-old, who has had two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, currently ranks 1st in Scoring Average, 1st in Greens in Regulation and 6th in Strokes Gained: Total this season so he looks like he could be set to have a very good year.