PGA TOUR's best score "Eagles for Arnie's Kids"
Eagles this week at Bay Hill Club & Lodge are indeed a helpful score, propelling a player up the leaderboard swiftly in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard.
They also are helping untold numbers of children and their families. So, naturally, Arnold Palmer wants to see them keep coming.
For the second time in as many years, eagles made on the Championship Course translate into charitable giving off the golf course. Dr. Phillips Charities is contributing $5,000 to Orlando Health for every eagle made throughout the 72-hole invitational tournament. The initiative is called "Eagles for Arnie's Kids," and it's an important element in the weeklong celebration of golf and giving.
Last year, Dr. Phillips Charities donated $180,000. The money went to the purchase of day beds at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital. Those beds allow parents to stay with their children while they are being treated for illnesses, which is very meaningful to families.
So far, through 36 holes of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard, the field of 120 competitors has converted 25 eagles. Nearly half (12) have come at the par-5 16th hole. That means there is already $125,000 earmarked for an important local philanthropic mission.
MARCH 23 UPDATE: Final eagle tally at Bay Hill: 37. Dr. Phillips Charities will donate $185,000 to AP Hospital thru Eagles For Arnie's Kids.
--Dave Shedloski