By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, March 19

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 7,207 yards
Purse	$3 million (Winner: $540,000)
1999 champion	Tim Herron
Tournament record	264, 24-under (Payne Stewart, 1987)
Television	Thursday-Friday: 4-6 p.m. (USA) Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	4	441
	2	3	218
	3	4	395
	4	5	530
	5	4	384
	6	5	558
	7	3	197
	8	4	459
	9	4	467
	Out	36	3649
	10	4	400
	11	4	438
	12	5	580
	13	4	364
	14	3	206
	15	4	425
	16	5	517
	17	3	219
	18	4	441
	In	36	3590
	Total	72	7239
	Key holes: Coming down the stretch, two par-3s usually determine the champion. Both the 14th and 17th holes are long par-3s which require long irons to hit difficult greens. And in both cases, hitting the green doesn't guarantee a par. The greens are tricky to putt with plenty of levels and undulations.

It's time to get serious on the PGA Tour. The West Coast swing? That was a warmup. The Match Play Championship? That was big money. Bay Hill is where the smiles turn to stares and the big names focus on the task at hand.

Arnold Palmer's intimate party for 120 features one of the best fields of the season, and as the tuneup for The Players Championship and The Masters coming into focus, Bay Hill becomes an important stop on the PGA Tour.

Although David Duval, Justin Leonard and Fred Couples are among the missing, most of the top players are at Bay Hill. It's also a field loaded with European players starting their own push toward Augusta, which is just three weeks away. Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Thomas Bjorn are just a few of the top Europeans in the field.

Conditions usually change often during the tournament, and last year was no exception. Despite temperatures in the 80s, it rained off and on and winds gusted up to 25 mph. Tim Herron picked up his third career title with a playoff victory over Tom Lehman.

For Herron, the key was a fast start. He opened with a 6-under 66 and never looked back, holding at least a share of the lead after every round. He held on despite a final-round 72.

Bay Hill is the third in a four-week swing through Florida. Next week, the Tour heads to Ponte Vedra Beach for the $6 million Players Championship. Then it's on to Georgia for the BellSouth Classic and the year's first major, The Masters.

A dozen players to watch
Darren Clarke: When last seen in the United States, Clarke was disposing of Tiger Woods in the finals of the Match Play Championship. Will that confidence carry over to Bay Hill and the march to Augusta?

Ernie Els: Els has had flashes of brilliance this year -- such as a playoff at the Mercedes Championship -- but it's been an up-and-down season. He loves Bay Hill, however, and coasted to the title here in 1998.

Bob Estes: He has just one career title, but Estes plays well at Bay Hill. He tied for second in 1998 and was fifth last year. And now he has Payne Stewart's former caddie on his bag, the same Payne Stewart who holds the tournament record at Bay Hill.

Dudley Hart: His spectacular finish at Heron Bay last week --four birdies to finish -- gave Hart his second career title. Now ranked 23rd in the world, Hart loves playing the Florida events and begins this one with a huge dose of confidence.

Tim Herron: Herron has been spinning his wheels this season, but he must feel good about arriving at Bay Hill. He went wire-to-wire last year, opening with a 66 and using his length as a strength.

Tom Lehman: Bay Hill was one of Lehman's four second-place finishes last year, losing a playoff to Herron. But Lehman is a much more confident player in 2000, already claiming victories in the Phoenix Open and the unofficial Williams Challenge.

Davis Love III: Bay Hill sums up Love's play the past two seasons. Still ranked fourth in the world, Love has gone nearly two years without a win. But there have been several close calls. At Bay Hill, he's been second twice and was third last year when he couldn't make a putt in the final round.

Phil Mickelson: Like Love, Mickelson failed to win in 1999, but he changed that earlier this year in San Diego. He won at Bay Hill in 1997 with the second-best finishing score of the past decade. Last year, he tied for fifth.

Loren Roberts: The Boss of the Moss has never putted better than he does at Bay Hill. He won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. That's important to Roberts, who will be outdriven on every hole by whoever he is playing with.

Hal Sutton: Sutton added his fourth top-10 finish of the young season last week at the Honda and has the perfect game for Bay Hill. This course is all about putting your irons in the correct spot, and there isn't a better iron player on the tour right now.

Kirk Triplett: After a marvelous West Coast swing which included his first title at Riviera, Triplett plays his first Florida event. He has been the most consistent player this season and ranks third on the money list. Last year, he finished 13th with typical Triplett scores: 70-71-70-71.

Tiger Woods: Already over $2 million for the season, Woods is also playing his first Florida event. He hasn't had much luck at Bay Hill, however, and failed to break par in any round last year when he posted his worst finish of the year -- a tie for 56th.