Golf Glance: Highlighting a busy week for the PGA’s signature event at Bay Hill.

The busiest week in professional golf this year marks the PGA Tour’s third signature event of 2026. The LPGA concludes its Asian swing, the DP Tour concludes its international swing, LIV Golf returns to Hong Kong and the Champions tee off with NFL legends.

pga tour

This week: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, March 5-8

Course: Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge (par 72, 7,466 yards)

Total prize money: $20 million (Winner: $4 million)

Defending Champion: Russell Henry

FedEx Cup Leader: Jacob Bridgeman

How to follow

TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 PM ET (Golf Channel); Saturday – Sunday: 12:30 – 2:30 PM (GC); 2:30 – 6:00 PM (NBC, Peacock)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday through Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

X: @APInv

Note: This is the third of eight signature events this season, with a $20 million prize pool and 700 FedEx Cup points up for grabs. This is one of three signature player-hosted events that feature a 36-hole cut for the bottom 50 players and ties with additional players within 10 strokes of the lead. … The field includes 42 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. … Justin Thomas will make his first start since undergoing microdiscectomy surgery last November. Seongjae Lim will also make his season debut. … With Aon Swing 5, four players earned a spot on the field – Nico Echavarria, Austin Smotherman, Taylor Moore and Keith Mitchell – while Joel Dahmen earned a spot based on the current FedEx Cup standings. Sponsor exemptions include Max Greyserman, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk and Jordan Spieth. … Four players were eliminated from Aon Swing 5 over the weekend: Haotong Li, Stephan Jaeger, Kevin Roy and Tony Finau. University of Texas sophomore Daniel Bennett is also in the field via the Arnold Palmer Cup Exemption. … This is the first of four events that are part of the Open Qualifying Series, where the top players, not otherwise exempt, qualify for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. … Payne Stewart still holds the tournament scoring record with 264 points from his 1987 win.

Best bet: Scottie Scheffler (+325 at DraftKings) wins Bay Hill in 2022 and 2024. Despite posting opening round scores of 73, 72, and 74, he has finished T-3, T-4, and T-12 in his last three starts. … Rory McIlroy (+950) won at Bay Hill in 2018 and has tied for 27th or better in his previous 11 appearances. … Tommy Fleetwood (+1750) tied for 11th last year and has had three top-10 finishes in his previous nine appearances. … Collin Morikawa (+2600) won at Pebble Beach last month and held the 54-hole lead there last year. … Chris Gotterup (+4300) continues to offer interesting odds on the Marquee field despite already being ranked sixth in the world in 2026 with two wins under his belt.

This week: Puerto Rico Open, Rio Grande, March 5-8

Course: Grand Reserve Golf Club (par 72, 7,508 yards)

Total prize money: $4 million (winner: $720,000)

Defending Champion: Carl Philips

How to follow

TV: Thursday – Friday: 10am – 1pm ET; Saturday – Sunday: 2:30 – 5:00 PM (Golf Channel)

Streaming (ESPN+)

X: @PuertoRicoOpen

NOTE: The Opposite Field event will award the winner 300 FedEx Cup points, along with a two-year PGA Tour exemption and an invitation to next week’s Players Championship. … No. 45 Michael Brennan is the highest-ranked player in the field, followed by No. 48 Rasmus Hojgaard. … Blades Brown, 18, will be making his eighth career start on Tour, and Miles Russell, 17, will be making his fifth career start on Tour. … John Daly II will make his PGA Tour debut with a sponsor exemption.

Last tournament: Cognizant Classic (Echavarria)

Next tournament: The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, March 12-15.

LPGA Tour

This week: Blue Bay LPGA, Hainan Island, China, March 5-8

Course: Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course (par 72, 6,712 yards)

Purse: $2.6M (Winner: $390,000)

Defending Champion: Rio Takeda

Race to the CME Globe Leader: Jeeno Thitikul

How to watch

TV/Streaming: Thursday – Saturday: 11 PM – 4 AM ET; Sunday: 11 PM – 5 AM (Golf Channel)

X: @LPGA

NOTE: This is the final race of the three-event Asian swing, which world No. 2 Nelly Korda will skip for the third straight year. … This is the eighth time the event has not been held since 2019-23 due to the pandemic. … The 108-player field includes 83 LPGA Tour players, 20 CGA players and five sponsor invitees. The first place in this category is number 8, Ruoning Yin. … Bailey Tardy set a tournament scoring record of 19-under 269 with a four-stroke victory over 2024 Sarah Schmelzel.

Last tournament: HSBC Women’s World Championship (Hannah Green)

Next tournament: Fortinet Founders Cup, Menlo Park, California, March 19-22

LIV Golf League

This week: LIV Golf Hong Kong, Fanling, March 5-8

Course: Hong Kong Golf Club (par 70, 6,710 yards)

Total prize money: Individual: $30M (Winner: $4M); Team: $10M (Winner: $3M)

Defending Champion: Individual: Sergio Garcia; Team: Fireballs GC

2026 Season Leaders: Individuals: Jon Rahm; Team: Reaper GC

How to watch

TV: Thursday: 12:15 a.m. ET (Round 1 – FS1, FS2), 11:15 p.m. (Round 2 – FS1, FS2); Saturday: 12:15 a.m. (Round 3 – FS1); 10:35 PM (Round 4 – Fox One, FS1)

X: @livgolf_league

Note: Hong Kong Golf Club was founded in 1889 and has been the venue for the Hong Kong Open since its founding in 1959, won last year by Tom McKibbin of Legion XIII. LIV Golf has already announced it will return to Hong Kong Golf Club for a fourth consecutive season, with the 2027 event scheduled for 18-21 February. …This is the third of 14 events this season. … HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson will miss his third straight contest due to undisclosed family issues and will be replaced by Wade Ormsby. … The daily shotgun start includes 13 teams and 57 players, including five wild cards.

Last competition: LIV Golf Adelaide (Individual: Anthony Kim, Team: Ripper GC)

Next event: LIV Golf Singapore, March 12-15

DP World Tour

This week: Joburg Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, March 5-8

Course: Houghton GC (par 70, 6,656 yards)

Wallet: $124M

Defending Champion: Callum Hill

Race to Dubai Leader: Patrick Reed

How to watch

TV: Thursday through Friday: 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET; Saturday: 5-9:30 a.m.; Sunday: 5 – 10 a.m. (Golf Channel)

X: @DPWorldTour

Note: This is the last of the seven-event International Swing, with the last three events all taking place in Africa. … The winner of the International Swing will receive a $200,000 bonus and, unless otherwise exempt, a spot in the Scottish Open. Reid is making his event debut as he attempts to become the first American to win since the International Swing began in 2024. … The field also includes this season’s two-time winner Jayden Schaper and former Joburg Open champion Andy Sullivan.

Last tournament: South African Open Championship (Casey Jarvis)

Next tournament: Hainan Classic, Hainan Island, China, March 19-22

PGA Tour Champion

This week: James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Boca Raton, Florida, March 6-8.

Course: Old Course at Broken Sound (par 72, 7,008 yards)

Purse: $2.2M (Winner: $330,000)

Defending Champion: Angel Cabrera

Charles Schwab Cup Leader: Stewart Cink

How to follow

TV: Friday-Sunday: 7-9 PM ET (Golf Channel)

X: @ChampionsTour

NOTE: The event returns for a second season. The field will feature 78 Champions players competing in a 54-hole tournament and 26 Pro Football Hall of Famers competing in a 36-hole, best-of-two ball contest over the first two days. … Three players are making their Champions debuts this week. They are former Ryder Cup captain and two-time major champion Zach Johnson, five-time PGA Tour winner Ben Crane and one-time Tour winner Ryan Armour.

Last Tournament: Chubb Classic (David Toms)

Next tournament: Cologuard Classic, Tucson, Arizona, March 20-22.

–Field level media