"I think it's brilliant." said Ernie Els, 2010 champion of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard. "They are really tough pin positions. I mean, 11-under won. That's where, as a designer, that's where you want the winning score to be."

"Even though Bay Hill is a private course, you're still able to stay at the lodge and play a round of golf." said Palmer. "I really like that golfers are able to play my course as the PGA TOUR pros do."

The next Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard is scheduled for March 21-27, 2011 - for more information visit www.arnoldpalmerinvitational.com.

To book a trip to the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, visit www.bayhill.com.

From now until the end of October, enter a bid at arnieskingdom.com and you could win a stay in Orlando and meet the man himself.

At the end of October, the winning bidder will be invited (with a partner) to the Kingdom Cup at Bay Hill Club & Lodge an invitation-only event, hosted by Arnold Palmer. All expenses will be paid (minus flights and incidentals) and his or her bid will serve as the reserve price at a live auction to take place at the tournament. Naturally the lucky recipients will be included in the bidding process!

Please email your bid to: ms@tmcusallc.com.

Once an ultimate winner is determined, Arnold Palmer will sign and present the portrait.

Golf fans have seen over the years the challenge Bay Hill presents when the PGA Tour's best arrive each spring for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Nor does the blueprint change much when the state's top amateurs come calling.

To win the 93rd Florida State Amateur crown this weekend, golfers will have to negotiate a layout that - except for seasonal differences - will have a similar look and feel as what Ernie Els won on in March.

"The FSGA likes to set up the course as similar as they can," said Brian Dorn, Bay Hill's director of golf. "The distances are going to be the same; we don't make the fairways wider for this event. It will be just as much of a test."

Former UCF golfer Blayne Barber captured that edition at 11-under par. So much for an intimidating setup.

"Not for these kids," Dachison said, noting that 106 of the 168 finalists are under age 25.

"A lot of them play college golf and this is their job right now. My guess is that the winning score, if we have good weather, will be between 6- and 9-under par."

Els, by the way, won at 11 under back in March. Last year, Tiger Woods' winning score was 5 under.

The biggest difference between now and March is the type of turf on the fairways. The course is overseeded in winter with ryegrass, which creates 4-inch rough for the pros but dies off when summer's hot temperatures hit.

Bermuda is Bay Hill's summer grass, with rough at about 2 1/2 inches but offering a different challenge. Bermuda tends to "swallow" balls, dropping underneath the grass stalks to the dirt underneath.

For tee times, see fsga.org.

The South African golfer won the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard for his second win at Bay Hill.

Els has 18 PGA TOUR wins and 44 international victories including three major titles. He has also twice earned the European Tour Order of Merit.

Voters comprised of Hall of Fame members, golf journalists, historians and dignitaries from around the globe will submit their ballots in July with a formal announcement to be made later this year.

Els will be joined on the 2011 ballot by the likes of Retief Goosen, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Mark O'Meara, Darren Clarke, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomery and Ian Woosnam.

The World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place in the spring of 2011.

The Bay Hill renovation was conducted under the experienced eye of Palmer himself and the Arnold Palmer Design Company.

During the tournament in March, many PGA TOUR players voiced rave reviews of the newly renovated course.

"I like what he (Palmer) did. I really like it." said Davis Love III. "I think it's a much more creative way to play golf. It's a great style for the fans. I think it's more fun to watch."

All the winners and finalists will be recognized in the Summer issue of Golf Inc. Judges for the competition were John Harbottle of John Harbottle Design, Jeff Brauer of GolfScapes and Doc Belitz of OB Sports.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ernie Els survived a few nervous moments by making two clutch par putts to win the rain-delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational in a Monday finish for his second PGA Tour victory in a row after a two-year drought.

Coming off a four-shot victory in the World Golf Championship at Doral two weeks ago, Els closed with a 1-under 71 at Bay Hill to win for the 18th time in his PGA Tour career and made it consecutive wins for the first time since 2003.

He was relieved upon holing an 8-foot par putt on the final hole, giving him a two-shot victory over Kevin Na and Edoardo Molinari of Italy.

This was Els' second victory at Bay Hill, the other coming 11 years ago in a 36-hole Sunday because of rain.

Els, who finished at 11-under 277, became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001 to win twice on the Florida Swing. The 40-year-old South African is to play the Houston Open before going to the Masters, where he will be among the top favorites.

"I think he's going to be tough at Augusta," Palmer said after greeting Els behind the 18th green.

The victory was worth $1.08 million and put Els atop the PGA Tour money list with more than $3 million. He moves to No. 7 in the world.

Retief Goosen (69) and Chris Couch (71) tied for fourth. Ben Curtis, who started the final round one shot out of the lead, closed with a 74 and finished alone in sixth.

Els had a five-shot lead Sunday afternoon and was cruising toward victory when he took double bogey from the water on No. 13 and bogey from the sand on the next hole. Then came the siren to stop play as thunderstorms approached, and rain drenched Bay Hill into the morning.

"The last 20 hours I couldn't stop thinking about trying to finish this thing," Els said.

Els had to make a 6-foot par putt on the 15th to keep his two-shot lead. Na had a two-putt birdie ahead of him on the 16th to get within one shot, and Els had a plugged lie in the face of the bunker on the 17th. On the verge of losing the rest of his big lead, Els blasted out to just over 6 feet and knocked in the par putt to keep the lead.

Na drove into the rough on the 18th, had to lay up and missed an 8-foot par putt for a 3-under 69. He slung his ball into the water, knowing he had made it just a little bit easier for Els.

"There's no chance," Na said when asked if he could have gone for the 18th green. "Even Tiger Woods couldn't have gotten over the water. With the lie as wet as it is, there's absolutely no chance."

Molinari made a 50-foot birdie on the 17th and shot 69 to share second place to earn $528,000.

Els played it safe on the 18th, missing the green well to the left and away from the water, then chipped down to 8 feet.

Ernie Els became the only multiple winner on the PGA TOUR by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It was certainly not easy. Els said Sunday afternoon it was going to be a restless night thinking about 13 and 14. After his win he said it was a tough night, but he did what he had to do. In fact early Monday morning he went to Lake Nona and hit balls in the rain preparing for the final four holes. Well deserved victory by Ernie. I asked him if he was going to still have Dan Quinn caddy for him at the Masters, and he confirmed that he was. He has obviously made a plan for the year and he is sticking to it.

The tie for fourth by Chris Couch has him getting closer to regaining his exempt status. The finish gives him a little over $575,000 and another $300,000 should get it done. Well done for Chris, who righted the ship after bogeying 14.

Els won his second start in a row and his 18th PGA TOUR victory in a Monday finish. Mark Carnevale from the PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM Radio called the winning putt and spoke with the newly crowned champion.

Final Round Shot of the Day

En route to his victory, Ernie Els chips in for birdie at the par-4 9th hole during the final round of the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.

Final round play will be aired on The Golf Channel at 12 a.m. EST.

Ernie Els said he hopes to play “major championship-type golf” today when he takes a one-stroke lead into the final round of the 32nd Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.

With the roll he’s on, the Big Easy seems capable of pulling it off. With the fellows in pursuit, he might need it, too.

Seeking to win back-to-back starts for the first time since 2003, Els continued his recent resurgence with a solid 3-under-par 69 at the breezy Bay Hill Club & Lodge and leads former British Open champion Ben Curtis by a shot at 10-under 206. It’s the 17th time the big South African has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and it’s the fifth time in his last seven rounds that he been at the top.

Furyk shot the low round of the day and tied the low round of the tournament with an early 6-under 66.

“I think it's great for the tournament,” Els, who won here at Bay Hill in 1998, said of the strong leaderboard. “It's such a quality golf course; you've got to play well. Those players that you mentioned are obviously great players.  You've got to beat a very good field to win here.

“I'm just trying to do my thing,” added Els, the No. 6 player in the world, who saved par at 18 with a 10-footer to preserve his slim advantage. “I’m trying to play as good as I can and stick with my game plan. Hopefully it's good enough.”

If Els, 39, wins, he’ll be only the fifth player to win two events on the Florida Swing in the same season, joining Tiger Woods, Tom Kite, Ray Floyd and Steve Elkington. He has successfully protected a lead 11 times, including two weeks ago when he won the CA Championship.

While Els ended a two-year winless drought recently, both Curtis and Couch seek their first victories since 2006.

Curtis, 32, led by two strokes through 15 holes Saturday as he scrambled impressively and took advantage of his birdie chances. He ran his streak of holes without a bogey to 31 until a three-putt from 66 feet at the par-5 16th – ranked the easiest on the golf course. He then bogeyed 17 to fall one behind. Like Els, he ended strong, however, with a 6-foott par save 18.

He knows the Big Easy will be hard to beat, but he’s proven over the years to be at his best on tough tracks.

“I like to think around the golf course, and, you know, especially around the greens and hitting different shots,” said Curtis, who has needed just 28 putts in each round. “That's what you've got to do on hard courses. You've got to be smart and you can't be over aggressive. But take advantage of it when you can. And then, you know, I like fast greens, so the faster the better for me.”

Couch, who has played just 16 events since 2007 because of shoulder problems, birdied four of his first six holes as he ended the day where he began – three back. Only this time, he’s alone in third.  His round concluded with a fortunate par after his approach to 18 hit the rocks in front of the green but then bounded onto the putting surface, 30 feet from the hole.

“I’ve never considered myself a very lucky person on the golf course, but that was a great break,” said Couch, who lives in nearby Winter Garden, Fla. “I've been hurt for two years and sitting on the couch and matching my last name. But I'm just blessed to be out here every day that I'm out here.”

Pre-round adjustments are essential for professional golfers, but Joe Ogilvie took it to a new level Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. His reward was a 10-shot improvement. Ogilvie shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on Bay Hill’s Championship Course.

Just 25 minutes before his second-round tee time of 12:43 pm, Ogilvie retreated to the clubhouse and had his R9 irons bent 1-degree upright by assistant pro Josh Jackson. "It's not recommended doing something like that, but I needed to turn it around, and it worked," said Ogilvie, who carded the low round of the day and moved up 81 spots into a tie for 23rd at 2-under 142 after 36 holes.

Ogilvie couldn’t keep the momentum going, however, falling back with a 79 on Saturday.

As for Jackson, a Pennsylvania native who has worked at Bay Hill for three years, he got the satisfaction of helping a player in the tournament, at least for one day. “That’s pretty cool that he played well,” said Jackson, 24, who also got something else out of the deal: a healthy tip from Ogilvie.

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Scores were higher for much of the field Saturday as greens dried out and winds kicked up, so Ogilvie wasn’t alone in struggling. Among the disappointed was Sam Saunders, who rallied with birdies on two of the last three to shoot a 77 to complete 54 holes in 4-over 220.

“I felt horrible today … uncomfortable from the start and just didn’t hit the ball well. Didn’t feel anything out there,” said Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer. “At least I got it done and finished well. I was pleased with that.”

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Usually it’s the finish of a golf course that bedevils players – and that often is the case at Bay Hill. But many players got off to a poor start Saturday with a bogey on either the first or second hole – or even on both, like Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III did. The par-4 first was the second most difficult hole on the day. The second, a par-3 of 226 yards, ranked fourth.

“They’re just two very long, difficult holes right off the bat, and the greens are getting firmer and firmer, so it’s hard work,” said Scotland’s Colin Mongomerie, who was paired with Saunders in the third round.

Montgomerie looked to be making a mess of the finish, but he holed out from a bunker for a par at 18 for a 71. “I think I get the most-improved award for that one,” he said.

“I wouldn’t mind winning again,” Jim Furyk said Saturday morning after he finished his third round in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.

The notion of winning might have sounded absurd since Furyk had already signed his scorecard more than two hours before the leaders were to tee off, but the former U.S. Open champion had just polished off a 6-under-par 66 on Bay Hill’s Championship Course. That enabled him to leapfrog dozens of fellow competitors and get within hailing distance of the top spot with today’s final round remaining.

It didn’t hurt that Furyk, playing with Henrik Stenson, was in the second group out on Saturday. The greens were smooth and receptive, and there was no wind. The 2003 U.S. Open winner went out in 31, fueled by an eagle at the par-5 sixth from 30 feet as part of a four-hole tear where he gained five shots. As the wind picked up on the back nine, Furyk had to buckle down, and he finished off his day with a nifty up-and-down for par from left of the green.

“I’ve been doing a good job of scoring and getting the ball in the hole,” said Furyk, 39, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “My attitude is good. I’ve hit my share of bad shots, but I manage to scrape it around. Anytime you win you know you’re in good shape.”

Even those playing well tend to fall into bad habits, and that’s what happened to Furyk until late in Friday’s round when he weakened his grip, which allowed him to release the club better. “It freed me up a little bit and let me swing aggressively,” he said.

The result was heartening, and gave him hope of trying to win back-to-back weeks for the first time in his career. He enters the final round at 5-under 211, but at least he left Bay Hill knowing his work was done while the leaders were going to battle a more testy, wind-whipped layout.

“Yesterday, things could have been going bad. I just hung in there, ground it out, 2 over was the best I could do, but it kept me around,” said Furyk, proud of his effort just in making the cut when he was fighting his mechanics. “Today, I was able to fire a good round today, and maybe got me back into the golf tournament.”

Back in the tournament and thinking about winning again.