Grandson of ‘The King’ tees off at Bay Hill
When Sam Saunders tied for 17th at the Honda Classic three weeks ago, he made $68,444 — a nice paycheck for a 22-year-old in his fifth professional tournament, nicer still considering it was $18,444 more than his grandfather, Arnold Palmer, ever earned for a tour victory.
“He actually mentioned it to me before I did,” said Saunders. “Just goes to show you how far golf has come popularity-wise, sponsorships. There’s so much money to make out here, it’s unbelievable.”
Which is part of the reason that Saunders opted out of Clemson, a year short of getting his degree — and against the advice of his grandfather — to pursue a spot on the PGA Tour.
Saunders has used his connections to secure sponsor exemptions into seven events this season, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational. When Saunders tees off this afternoon at Bay Hill, he will play the course, run by his parents, where he became club champion at age 15 and won the same tournament four years later by 17 shots.
Saunders is fully aware how much more difficult it will be to win a PGA event. He got his first taste of Tour competition at Bay Hill in 2006, his senior year of high school, when he shot 76-82 – 158, tying for 115th in a field of 117.
“The last time out was a long time ago,” said Saunders. “I was a good player and had a lot of talent but just didn’t know how to manage my game. Now the experience I’ve gained here playing in a few tour events, I definitely feel like I’m in much better position to contend and win tournaments.”
Perhaps through lineage, and his grandfather’s famed swagger, Saunders has no shortage of confidence. On Tuesday, when an interviewer framed a question with the words “assuming you don’t do something crazy here,” referring to him winning, Saunders politely took umbrage.
“I hope that’s not crazy,” said Saunders. “I wouldn’t like to consider hopefully getting a win in these next three [tournaments] something crazy.”
Saunders is the son of Palmer’s daughter, Amy, and Roy Saunders, a former walk-on kicker at the University of Florida. In the year he won the Florida state championship as a high school junior (2005), Saunders appeared in a Golf Channel special with his grandfather and played with him in the National Father-Son.
Earlier this year, after working several years with swing coaches, Saunders sought out Palmer for more than grandfatherly advice, and the golf legend was touched.
“It was something that I had hoped would happen,” Palmer said Wednesday. “He’ll say, ‘Can I see you on the tee for a little bit,’ and I go out with him. And it’s worked. And if he keeps doing that, it will work.”
