Arnold Palmer Invitational 2017: Tee times, TV schedule, and live stream info for Thursday

The annual stop at Bay Hill was always one of the most special events on the PGA Tour schedule. The presence of Arnold Palmer, a legend who pushed the game of golf to the big business it now is, lorded over the tournament at Bay Hill. Everyone came to honor Arnie and interact with one of the greats of the game.

This year, the Arnold Palmer Invitational will be one of the most important and special weeks of the PGA Tour season but with a different meaning. It’s still going to be a celebration, but for the first time, Mr. Palmer won’t be there. The tributes are everywhere this week — all over the course, golf bags, grandstands, concessions, players, and the broadcast. Palmer’s imprimatur was already on this event, but this entire week is about remembering and honoring the man responsible for this tournament and for so much of the PGA Tour’s success. It will be a sentimental, emotional, somber, and joyous four days at Bay Hill.

It should also be a hell of a tournament. While a lot of attention has been paid to some of the bigger names that did not put this on their schedule, a really strong field quietly assembled at Bay Hill. This is a great group that includes Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose, and Henrik Stenson, among others. The purse got a dramatic bump and the PGA Tour has dangled a three-year exemption as a reward to the winner. The efforts being poured into this event not only celebrate Palmer this year but are working to ensure this remains a prestigious stop on Tour for years to come.

Golf Channel and NBC will have the broadcast this week, with GC taking the reins for all of the first-round Thursday coverage. Palmer was the founder of Golf Channel and everyone who works there adores the man and what he did for the game and to help get the network started. It’s just a few minutes down the road from Bay Hill, so this is an extra special week for that broadcast group, too.

Here’s your media schedule for the opening round of the API (all times ET):

2 to 6 p.m. ET — Golf Channel

9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. — Golf Channel replay

7:30 a.m. -- PGA Tour Live starts with coverage from range and opening holes

Featured Groups (PGA Tour Live subscription required)

3 to 6 p.m. — PGA Tour Live featured holes coverage (No subscription required)

2 to 6 p.m. — Golf Channel simulcast stream

1 to 6 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio on Sirius-XM (Ch. 92/208 and streamed here)

And here’s your full tee sheet for the opening round on Thursday (all times ET):

Morning wave:

7:35 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Anirban Lahiri

7:47 a.m. -- Kyle Stanley, Daniel Summerhays, Tommy Fleetwood

7:59 a.m. -- Kevin Streelman, Harris English, C.T. Pan

8:11 a.m. -- Danny Willett, Charl Schwartzel, Ben Martin

8:23 a.m. -- Hudson Swafford, Ryan Moore, Emiliano Grillo

8:35 a.m. -- Smylie Kaufman, Vijay Singh, Ty Hatton

8:47 a.m. -- Danny Lee, Steven Bowditch, Brooks Koepka

8:59 a.m. -- Troy Merritt, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson

9:11 a.m. -- Roberto Castro, Steve Wheatcroft, Michael Kim

9:23 a.m. -- Robert Gamez, Matthias Schwab, David Hronek

Afternoon wave:

12:20 p.m. -- Lucas Glover, David Hearn, Ollie Schniederjans

12:32 p.m. -- Louis Oosthuizen, Greg Owen, Byeong Hun An

12:44 p.m. -- Russell Henley, Kyle Reifers, Wesley Bryan

12:56 p.m. -- Adam Hadwin, Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell

1:08 p.m. -- Rory McIlroy, Brandt Snedeker, Sam Saunders

1:20 p.m. -- Brian Stuard, Chris Kirk, Paul Casey

1:32 p.m. -- Aaron Baddeley, Retief Goosen, Alex Noren

1:44 p.m. -- William McGirt, James Hahn, Branden Grace

1:56 p.m. -- Boo Weekley, Derek Fathauer, Thomas Pieters

2:08 p.m. -- J.J. Spaun, Grayson Murray, Curtis Luck

Morning wave:

7:35 a.m. -- Seung-Yul Noh, Ian Poulter, John Daly

7:47 a.m. -- Scott Brown, Kevin Chappell, Patton Kizzire

7:59 a.m. -- Tim Herron, Patrick Rodgers, Jeunghun Wang

8:11 a.m. -- Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose

8:23 a.m. -- Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer

8:35 a.m. -- Tony Finau, Fabian Gomez, Stewart Cink

8:47 a.m. -- Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Kisner, Billy Horschel

8:59 a.m. -- Mackenzie Hughes, Si Woo Kim, Sean O’Hair

9:11 a.m. -- Marc Leishman, Chad Campbell, Graham DeLaet

9:23 a.m. -- Brandon Hagy, Thorbjorn Olesen, Robby Shelton

Afternoon wave:

12:20 p.m. -- Kevin Na, Chez Reavie, Jason Kokrak

12:32 p.m. -- Brian Harman, Martin Laird, John Huh

12:44 p.m. -- Trevor Immelman, Morgan Hoffmann, Cameron Smith

12:56 p.m. -- Cody Gribble, Keegan Bradley, Charles Howell III

1:08 p.m. -- Billy Hurley III, Jim Herman, Ernie Els

1:20 p.m. -- Greg Chalmers, Charley Hoffman, Matt Every

1:32 p.m. -- Pat Perez, Rod Pampling, David Lingmerth

1:44 p.m. -- Camilo Villegas, Harold Varner III, Matthew Fitzpatrick

1:56 p.m. -- Bud Cauley, Jamie Lovemark, Luke List

2:08 p.m. -- Kelly Kraft, Rob Oppenheim, Ryan Ruffels