Sunday notebook: Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Mar. 29, 2010
By John Bush, PGA TOUR Staff

Weather: Mostly cloudy and breezy, with mid-afternoon thunderstorms. High of 79. Winds SE 10-20 mph.

• Play was suspended due to a dangerous situation at 2:32 p.m. with 21 players left to complete their round. The decision was made to suspend play for the day at 5:30 p.m., with those players back in position on Monday at 10 a.m., with GOLF CHANNEL providing coverage.

• This will mark the TOUR's third Monday finish in 2010 (Bob Hope Classic, Puerto Rico Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational).

• The last Monday finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational came in 1982. Tom Kite, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson completed the final round on Monday tied atop the leaderboard. Kite chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 15) to post the win.

Leaderboard at the time of the suspension:

Rank	Player	Score
1.	Ernie Els	11-under (thru 14 holes)
2.	Kevin Na	9-under (thru 14)
T3.	Retief Goosen	8-under (thru 17)
	Ben Curtis	8-under (thru 14)
	Chris Couch	8-under (thru 13)
T6.	Kevin Streelman	7-under (thru 15)
	Edoardo Molinari	7-under (thru 14)

• Of the 54 players who completed their round, just nine managed sub-par rounds, led by D.A. Points' 3-under 69.

• Els is making his 16th appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. During those starts, he has posted 12 made cuts and two top-10 finishes (1st-1998, T9-2002).

• Els is seeking to become just the fifth golfer to win two events in the "Florida Swing" since 1980.

Year	Player	Tournaments on Florida Swing
2001	Tiger Woods	Arnold Palmer Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship
1997	Steve Elkington	Doral-Ryder Open, THE PLAYERS Championship
1989	Tom Kite	Arnold Palmer Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship
1981	Ray Floyd	Doral-Eastern Open, THE PLAYERS Championship

• Since the Arnold Palmer Invitational moved to Bay Hill in 1979, just seven players have posted all four rounds in the 60s: Andy Bean (Won, 1981), George Burns (P2, 1984), Payne Stewart (Won, 1987), David Frost (2nd, 1987), Andrew Magee (Won, 1991), Stuart Appleby (2nd, 2004), Bart Bryant (2nd, 2008).

• Italian Edoardo Molinari, who earned a spot in the field this week by being in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, stood at T6 at the time of the suspension. He is making his third start as a pro on TOUR. Molinari lost in the first round at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and finished 61st at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship.

• Molinari teamed with his brother Francesco to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup last year. Francesco finished T4 on Sunday at the European Tour's Open de Andalucia de Golf in Málaga, Spain.

• Sam Saunders, the grandson of tournament host Arnold Palmer, posted an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish 4-over 292. He has made the cut in three of five professional starts on TOUR, with a career-best T17 at the 2010 Honda Classic.

• There were only seven bogey-free rounds this week at Bay Hill: R1 -- J.B. Holmes (66), Chris DiMarco (69), Boo Weekley (70); R2 -- Joe Ogilvie (66), K.J. Choi (69), Chris Couch (70); R3 -- None; R4 -- Bo Van Pelt (70).