Arnold Palmer: 'We Are All Disappointed That Tiger Isn’t Going To Play Bay Hill'

With Tuesday's announcement from Tiger Woods, not only did it become official that he would be making his return to golf at the Masters in April, but it also meant that for the first time ever, he would not be participating at Bay Hill. This is news about which host Arnold Palmer was disappointed to learn (obviously).

"We are all disappointed that Tiger isn’t going to play our tournament at Bay Hill, but, all things considered, we certainly understand," Palmer said.

"I talked to Tiger on the phone this morning and he expressed his regrets that he won’t be playing here. He said that he really didn’t feel his game was sharp enough to begin competition this early."

"As for Tiger’s decision to play at the Masters without playing a tournament beforehand, that’s something only the player himself knows how to handle. Certainly he knows what he wants to do with his life and the way he is going to deal with it. We’re going to give him that respect."