By Jeremy Beale
“We grew up watching the great players and Tiger, what he’s done, and that has pushed us harder to want to reach our goals,” Reed said to the Golf Channel Tuesday during the API. “We want to basically play the game how he’s done and in the dominant fashion that he’s done.”
This NCAA First-team All-American, Three-time AJGA Rolex All-American Honoree and Augusta State Jaguar Alumni had a remarkable four rounds of match play, scoring seven birdies and two eagles – leading the field in eagles.
Unable to clinch a victory at the API, Reed remained tied for 52nd with a score of 1-over-par.
Reed falling short of his expectations is traveling to the Master's Championship April 13.
Nevertheless, some contenders were in the competition for a little more than a top spot.
"Mr. Palmer is among my all-time idols as a golfer and a person,” AJGA Alumnus Ryan Moore said.
32-year-old, University of Nevada - Las Vegas Rebel, Three-time NCAA Division I All-American and U.S. Amateur Champion Ryan Moore was a man after Arnie’s own cardigan.
According to the API website Moore co-founders of Quagmire Golf clothing is in partnership with Arnold Palmer Enterprises.
"When we discussed the guy to become the modern face of Arnie, Ryan was No. 1 on everyone's list," Creative Director for Arnie and Quagmire Geoff Tait said on the API website. "He truly gets our vision and is a dapper guy who's always moving mainstream menswear trends onto the fairways."
Where Moore maybe ranked 38th in the World and 13th in the FedEx standings it can be assured that little can hail in comparison to being the “Modern Face of the King.”
However, through all the joys and heartbreaks it was a long week at API.
As friends and competitors alike, accepted their fair share of beatings, each competitor earned the right to be called a soldier in Arnie’s Army.
Golfers say it is an honor to be welcomed into his army, because it is his army, which exemplifies the heart of the sport.
On March 20, at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge located under the palms of sunny Orlando, Fla., three American Junior Golf Association Alumni (AJGA) Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore and Patrick Reed were welcomed into the presence of Arnold “The King” Palmer to partake in four straight days of competitive match play.
“The Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) Presented by MasterCard (formerly the Bay Hill Invitational) has attained such high stature over its two decades at Bay Hill in Central Florida,” the API website said. “Primarily attributable to Palmer and the tremendous respect that he has among his peers in tournament golf – the Orlando area was booming.”
Nevertheless, where the Orlando community seemed to be flourishing, various tour professionals including these AJGA Alumni were braving a storm of their own.
As each round of the competition ended some of the biggest names in golf bided the tournament farewell.
According to the Golf Channel over 120 competitors battled it out on the home course of “The King.”
Competing head-to-head against one another the alumni waded in the wake of the field, fighting to make through the next cut.
Veteran contenders, such as 25-year-old, former Oklahoma State Cowboy,Two-time NCAA Division I All-American and Two-time First-team AJGA All-American, Rickie Fowler, were struggling to make the cut.
According to the PGA Tour website Fowler is ranked 36th in the World and 38th in the FedEx standings.
“Rickie Fowler tied for third a year ago at Bay Hill and in two starts prior to that had yet to miss the cut,” Brentley Romine of Golf Week said. “By round's end Friday, 77 players had made it into the weekend at 2-over-par. Fowler, at 5-over-par, was not one of them. With a second-round, 4-over-par, 76, Fowler's hopes of a second straight high finish at the API came to a holt.”
However, that was not the case for Patrick “The Young Gun” Reed, who held bigger aspirations from the API – as he pursued a spot in the 2014 Master’s Championships.
Reed, 23, ranked 25th in the World and 4th in the FedEx standings was looking for a ticket back to his native stomping grounds of the Great Peach State of Georgia. (cont.)
A new generation welcomed into the army
AJGA alumni compete in Arnold Palmer Invitational
The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done. Accomplishments: Masters Champion: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964 U.S. Open Champion: 1960 Open Championship Winner: 1961, 1962 PGA Player of Year: 1960, 1962 Vardon Trophy: 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967 Ryder Cup Team: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973 - Captain 1963, 1975 Presidents Cup Captain: 1996 UBS Cup Team and Captain: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
"You know I'd look up to the majors, they were the ones I'd watch and the Masters was definitely the number one tournament I would watch. The most memorable moments are obviously watching re-runs of Jack's win in 1986 and we've got the tape of Tiger in 97." Accomplishments: Western Junior Champion: 2005 Sunnehanna Amateur Champion: 2007, 2008 Players Amateur Champion: 2007 Big 12 Championship: 2008 Kolon Korea Open Champion: 2011
"Mr. Palmer is among my all-time idols as a golfer and a person, so competing in these clothes and being so closely associated with his style legacy is a dream come true." Accomplishments: U.S. Amateur Public Links Champion: 2002, 2004 U.S. Amateur Champion: 2004 Western Amateur Champion: 2004 NCAA Division I Champion: 2004 Sahalee Players Champion: 2004 Wyndham Champion: 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Champion: 2012 CIMB Classic Champion: 2013
The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done. Accomplishments: Masters Champion: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964 U.S. Open Champion: 1960 Open Championship Winner: 1961, 1962 PGA Player of Year: 1960, 1962 Vardon Trophy: 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967 Ryder Cup Team: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973 - Captain 1963, 1975 Presidents Cup Captain: 1996 UBS Cup Team and Captain: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004