Joe Highsmith avoided missing his fourth promotion in six games and then back-to-back 64, winning his first professional PGA Tour title last week at Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach. Since Brandt Snedeker achieved this feat at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open, Highsmith has become the first player to advance to that number and continues to win games. With the victory, the 24-year-old Gao Smith took the championship in all the remaining signature events of the season, starting with this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Massachusetts. He also made tickets for the Masters and PGA Championships and the Sentinels in 2026.
Highsmith headed to Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida to compete in the Palmer Inspirational and many golf big shots, including defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler. The defending three-time PGA Tour Player of the Year and the 2024 FedEx Cup champion led by 273 strokes a year ago at Bay Hill’s Wyndham Clark. It was the biggest win in the event since Tiger Woods won five shots in 2012.
Scheffler, Clark, Highsmith, Rory McIlroy and some others are looking to grab a $20 million pot in Bay Hill. The winner brought home $4 million.
Here are the key facts about the 2025 incident:
When is the Arnold Palmer Invitational?
It runs from Thursday to Sunday.
What do fans think?
Fans can adjust Disney+ and ESPN+ through the ESPN streaming hub.
What is the schedule?
*All times east
Thursday: First round coverage starts at 7:30 am
Friday: The second round of reports starts at 7:30 am
Saturday: The third round coverage starts at 8 a.m.
Sunday: The fourth round coverage starts at 7 a.m.
Coverage includes main feed, Marquis’ group, featured group and featured hole.
Which top players will be in the game?
▪ScottieScheffler
▪Xander Schauffele
▪Rary McIlroy
▪ludvigÅberg
▪CollinMorikawa
How do fans access other golf content from ESPN?
Please check out the ESPN Golf Hub page for the latest news, scores, schedules, rankings and more.
