ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sam Saunders stepped onto the first tee at Bay Hill and flashed a quick thumbs-up to the crowd, the trademark gesture of his grandfather. For the next four hours, memories of Arnold Palmer were all around him Thursday.
Nothing hit him harder, though, than his walk to the 16th tee.
Parked next to the tee was Palmer's cart -- that's where his grandfather loved to watch the action at the Arnold Palmer Invitational -- and Saunders grew emotional.
"I started thinking about all the years that I've played in the tournament, and I just started thinking about him driving around in the cart and watching me," Saunders said.