Arnold Palmer memories flood Bay Hill during first round of tournament

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. “And just to see it sitting there empty yeah, that’s hard. I think we all feel that. I had my emotional moment, looked at it, and then got my head where it needed to be to play the next hole.”

And then he finished like Palmer, taking on tough shots. They just didn’t work out the way he wanted, though that sometimes was the case for the King, too.

The first Arnold Palmer Invitational without the beloved tournament host began with Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and Matt Fitzpatrick of England opening at five-under 67 to share the lead on a Bay Hill course that looked better than ever.

Saunders hit five-iron from a fairway bunker on the par-five 16th and came up short into the water, leading to bogey. His four-iron landed an inch from the hole and nicked the pin on the par-three 17th. And he went after the flag with a six-iron on the 18th and again found water for a double bogey, leaving him at 74.

Even so, it was a big day.

The week is a celebration of Palmer, who died Sept. 25, for the tournament he brought to Bay Hill in 1979 and played until 2004, when he hit driver off the deck on the 18th hole with 16-year-old Saunders on the bag.

Saunders not only received a sponsor exemption, he was placed in the star pairing for the afternoon with Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker. McIlroy twice made bogeys from the bunker and three-putted from 18 feet on the fringe in his round of 74.

Palmer’s 29-year-old grandson was at Bay Hill to play, though he realized this was not a normal round. Asked how much he thought of Palmer, he said, “All day.”

“How can you not? He’s everywhere,” Saunders said. “I see him, I feel him, you hear about him. There were so many well wishes out there toward me today, and his presence is overwhelming. It always will be.”

Multicolored umbrellas — the famous Palmer logo — were everywhere at Bay Hill. They were on shirt collars and caps, golf bags and even the covers of fairway metals. Parkas might have been more appropriate, especially with the round beginning in 39 degrees, the coldest start of a PGA Tour event this year — in Florida, no less.

Lewis leads at Founders Cup

Stacy Lewis missed a chance to shoot the second 59 in LPGA Tour history, settling for an eight-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead Thursday in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Playing in low-90s heat in near-perfect conditions at Wildfire, Lewis was 9 under through 11 holes, parred the next six and closed with a bogey after hitting into the deep left greenside bunker.

Playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn, In Gee Chun, Katie Burnett and Sandra Changkija joined Lewis atop the leaderboard at Desert Ridge. All five played in the afternoon. Lewis holed out from 136 yards for eagle on the par-four ninth to make the turn in seven-under 27, and added birdies on 10 and 11.

The 32-year-old Texan was trying to join Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA Tour players to break 60. Sorenstam accomplished the feat 16 years ago to the day, shooting a 13-under 59 at nearby Moon Valley.