Look back at Tiger's eight incredible wins at Bay Hill

Post by Golf Writer, Kieran Clark

Though absent from this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational due to injury, the shadow of Tiger Woods continues to loom over Bay Hill, with his eight incredible victories defining the event almost to the same extent as the legendary host himself. Both men will be significantly less visible this year, for obvious reasons, and that is a loss for us all.

2000

Regularly assessed as being the finest year of his career, the new millennium brought with it an era of dominance that had possibly surpassed anything that had come before it. Winning three majors - including the U.S. Open by 15 shots and the Open Championship by eight - the Calfornian set a benchmark that may never be matched in the future. 

However, that year is also significant for marking his first triumph at Bay Hill. Shooting a final round of 70 to finish four strokes ahead of Davis Love III, Tiger clinched his 18th PGA Tour title at the age of just 24. And there would be more to come.

2001

In the aftermath of that extraordinary season, expectations were unimaginably high. With the potential of holding all four major titles at the same time looming, Woods produced a brilliant weekend performance at Bay Hill to edge ahead of rival Phil Mickelson to lift his first title the year. 

The following week at TPC Sawgrass, Tiger won the Players Championship for the first time, which all preceded that historic victory at Augusta National just a few weeks later, when he completed the Tiger Slam. 

2002

Bay Hill once again laid the foundations for a triumph at the Masters, with a comfortable four-stroke victory over future U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell securing three-in-a-row at Arnie's Place. It was his 30th PGA Tour title. Less than a month later, the 26-year-old successfully defended at Augusta to once again adorn the Green Jacket.

2003

It would be a largely fruitless season - by his monumental standards - but Tiger made a bit of history at Bay Hill in winning for the fourth consecutive year. And it wasn't even close. Rounds of 70-65-66-68 secured victory by an eye-watering 11-strokes over a chasing pack that included Stewart Cink and Kenny Perry. 

2008

It had been five years since Tiger had tasted victory at Bay Hill, but the dominance was resumed in 2008 with a dramatic victory over 45-year-old journeyman Bart Bryant to secure his fifth-straight victory on the Tour. 

Progress would not continue to Augusta, however, with knee surgery in April taking him out of the game for two months, before he returned at that extraordinary U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqJ4Zs5zKxg

2009

Following his lengthy absence from the game in the aftermath of his 14th major victory, Tiger returned to Bay Hill hoping to dispel any doubts about his future as the dominant player. With darkness falling, Woods stood over 16-footer for the win over Sean O'Hair. With The King watching, he dramatically produced a magisterial stroke of his own to make it six wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gCyg895aEA

2012

In the time since that victory in 2009, Tiger made the headlines for all the wrong reasons as the scandal erupted, which, coincided with swing changes and a number of recurring injuries resulted in greatest player of his generation sitting without a PGA Tour win in 30 months. 

That all changed with the comforts of Bay Hill, however, with an assured and measured performance from the 36-year-old securing a morale boosting victory by five-strokes from Graeme McDowell. Tiger was back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6oZgsZx19o

2013 

There were flashbacks of the old days in the early months of 2013, with Tiger winning at Torrey Pines and at Doral to place him on the edge of returning to the number one spot. With Rory McIlroy in mixed form, the 14-time major champion finished two shots ahead of Justin Rose to win for an eighth time at Bay Hill, which saw Woods once again ascend to the summit of the game. 

Many felt that it was the beginning of a new era, with victories at Sawgrass and Firestone coming later in the year, but it now appears that 2013 was one last hurrah in the career of an extraordinary player, whose own success is entwined with that of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Bay Hill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYclM-_-cEQ