ORLANDO (Reuters) - Arnold Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders will redefine the phrase 'home advantage' when he tees off at the Bay Hill course in Florida for his fifth PGA tour event of the season on Thursday.
Saunders, 22, is competing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational with the tournament's host, who notched 62 PGA Tour wins and seven major championships during his playing career, as his coach on a course he says he knows "like the back of my hand."
On top of that his parents, Amy and Roy, run the Bay Hill Club and Lodge; he lives just two miles down the road from the course; practices on site throughout the year and will enjoy the backing of many locals.
"It's exciting. I like having a big crowd out there; whether or not I have one, we'll see. If I play well, that will be the case," Saunders told reporters on Tuesday.
Saunders, who does not have a card for the PGA Tour or the lower-ranked Nationwide Tour, is playing on a sponsor's exemption for the fifth-time this season.
After failing to make the cut twice and managing 70th place at Pebble Beach, Saunders broke through with a tie for 17th at the Honda Classic earlier this month at Palm Beach Gardens.
It was a step up that should help the young prospect cope with the extra pressure and attention he will face this week.
"Any time you can play well out here and gain that experience, regardless of what the next event is, is extremely helpful," he said. "I feel like I've gotten better every week I've played out here and I think I've learned something different from each event."
He has been helped by an evolution in his relationship with the 80-year-old Palmer.
"I went to him and I said, 'I really want your help. I want you to actually come out and work with me hard, don't just tell me to slow down. Get a little more in-depth with me,' and he did. We went out there and really worked hard on what I was doing and tried to come up with my own style of play.
"He put a lot of it on me. It's not like he can tell me exactly how to play the game. He said, 'You need to figure out your own style and develop it and stick to it and don't listen to anybody else -- but me.'"
Saunders believes he has some elements of his game in common with his illustrious grandfather, particularly in swing and more broadly in their approach to the game.
"I'm beginning to see that we have a lot of similarities, and I like the way he played the game," said Saunders.
"Everybody thinks he just played with no thought process at all, and I have to tell you, it's not true at all. You don't win as many tournaments as he did just hitting it hard and going and finding it."
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
