ORLANDO, Fla. – Even with a seven-figure purse and a wearable trophy up for grabs, Graeme McDowell has a hard time keeping his mind from drifting to another prize on the line this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
This is the first year that Bay Hill serves as a leg in the Open Qualifying Series, with three players not otherwise exempt among the top 10 punching their tickets to The Open this summer at Royal Portrush. It’s a tasty incentive for many in the 123-man field, but perhaps none more so than McDowell, who was born in Portrush and has played the Dunluce Links course more than 500 times.