Looking ahead to the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend, we take a deep dive into the career of Daniel Bennett, who will be the lowest-ranked player at the event.
Some of the very best golfers in the world will be at Bay Hill Club from Thursday onwards as Russell Henley looks to defend his title.
Why is Daniel Bennett playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational?
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Bennett has been granted entry to the playing field for this year’s API thanks to a sponsor exemption.
He played the Arnold Palmer Cup last year, representing the International team, where he won the Palmer Cup Award. He even hit a hole-in-one at that tournament, which massively helped his chances of securing this life-changing opportunity.
Taking home that prize was enough to secure Bennett this coveted spot at one of the PGA Tour’s biggest events.
Being handed the award and the exemption came as a surprise to Bennett, who told the Orlando Sentinel: “I was shell shocked. I thought they made a mistake. I heard my name, and it was kind of weird. I kind of felt like they were going to call my name, and then when they did, my head shot up immediately, and I was like, ‘No way.’ “
Daniel Bennett is the lowest-ranked player in the field
Going into this week’s event, Bennett sits at 2842nd in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Given he has never played a PGA Tour event before, that figures.
That puts him way behind even the biggest outliers in the field. Joel Dahmen is the second-lowest ranked player, at 160th in the world, while Taylor Moore sits at 138 in the OWGR and Andrew Putnam is at 122. Bennett is the only collegian athlete to take part in the API this year.
However, it’s worth noting Bennett…
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