Tour players honour Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose have taken to social media to lead the tributes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week.

Along with several other Tour professionals such as Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett, players have taken to put his umbrella logo upon their bags and clothing.

While much of the talk surrounding the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf Club & Lodge has been about the players not attending, those that are have embraced the tournament and their memories of the man wholeheartedly.

Billy Horschel was one of the one’s to express his disappointment that many of the World’s best had turned down the opportunity to appear, tweeting “Disappointing. Totally understand schedule issues. But 1st year without AP. Honor an icon! Without him wouldn’t be in position we are today”.

Many of the players will be honouring the icon by wearing his umbrella emblem this week, and judging by social media, none more so than Horschel.

He wasn’t the only one to show-off his umbrella dedicated clothing, with Billy Hurley III honouring Arnold Palmer with the symbol on the sleeve of his shirts this week.

Rickie Fowler took things further with what are sure to be one of the most memorable ways of showing respect to Palmer. Known for pushing fashion trends in golf, Puma Golf have made him a pair of shoes that are covered with pictures of the seven-time Major champion.

And Keegan Bradley followed suit, taking to Instragram to showcase his own shoe-themed acknowledgement.

Alongside Annika Sorenstam, Curtis Strange, Peter Jacobsen and Tom Ridge, Graeme McDowell is one of the tournament hosts at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He went on twitter to post a video about players will show their support this week while on his way to the event.

Meanwhile Justin Rose has posted several updates about Palmer, but the biggest nod came with the changing of his new twitter profile picture.

Many of the players at the event have already sat in Palmer’s chair and signed autographs, something Ian Poulter was delighted to share with his followers along with the umbrella sitting proudly on his bag.

Along with Poulter, Danny Willett and Smylie Kaufman were two players to show off their own bags for a week that Willett called emotional.

“I think Bay Hill this week, it is going to be pretty emotional” he said. “There’s a great field playing.  A lot of the guys are here showing their respect to Mr. Palmer, and the guys are wearing the umbrellas somewhere on them or their bags or their caps or whatever it is.”

“I think it’s going to be, we remember him for the great man he was and what he did for the game, but I think it’s going to be a celebration of what he did for the game.  You can see everything, when you walk through the doors here, everything just oozes with class, and that’s the guy that he was.  I think it’s all going to make for an unbelievable week.”

While many honoured Arnold Palmer with umbrella’s to their bags and apparel, others like Tom Watson and Rory McIlroy shared emotive memories they had of the King.