Palmer expects Tiger to shine at Bay Hill

Golf:Arnold Palmer would not be surprised to see Tiger Woods burst back to winning ways at this week's Invitational bearing the legend's name and on a course where he is already a six-time champion.

Woods has not tasted success for 16 months and has dropped to fifth in the world, but Arold Palmer Invitational played at Bay Hill in Orlando has been one of Woods’ happiest hunting grounds.

The tournament host said today: “I’ve obviously been watching his game just like everyone else has. I feel like Tiger has a golf game that can come to the surface any time. I think that’s certainly a possibility here.

“He likes the golf course, he likes what we’ve done, so I would just not count him out at all. I think he’s capable of winning any time.”

Woods has come out top on his last two visits to the site, but skipped it last year and chose to make the US Masters his comeback after four months of battling his private life issues.

Now it is again his final warm-up event for Augusta in a fortnight, and he comes into it encouraged by a closing 66 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami two weeks ago.

That was still only good enough for a share of 10th place and the week also contained two of the worst drives the 35-year-old has hit in his whole career.

Woods is now seven months into work on a new swing under Canadian coach Sean Foley, and Palmer admits he has been “a little surprised” by all the changes the 14-time major winner has made.

“I’m not going to claim to be an expert about his swing,” added Palmer. “I thought that the first few times that I played with him on the Tour, way back when he first came out, he had a great swing and I thought he had a great posture.

“Obviously it was because he didn’t win all of those tournaments without having those things. So changing? Well, that’s up to Tiger. I don’t want to inject anything into something I don’t really know enough about.”

Phil Mickelson, without a win himself since last April’s Masters, added this week’s event to his schedule after finishing way down the field at Doral.

“Any tournament that I played in before or after Augusta or any other major championship was to me a very important event,” added 81-year-old Palmer.

“If I was playing good and winning tournaments I always felt pretty good going to Augusta. I think that’s just a confidence-builder and I think that would apply to any player in the field.”

Both Woods and Mickelson have had putting problems and Palmer also said: “I can tell you that it becomes more and more difficult as you get older.

“I can’t say that I know anybody that doesn’t have that happen to him at some time. All of a sudden, once in a while, the bounces go the wrong way or the putts rim around the cup rather than going in the cup.”

Graeme McDowell is also in the field this week and the US Open champion will tee it alongside Americans, Jim Furyk and Bubba Watson.