A debut at Bay Hill leads to much more for McDowell

Padraig Harrington hits from the bunker on the second hole during the third round of the Genesis Open golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) -- Graeme McDowell had a week to remember when he played Bay Hill for the first time in 2005. He tied for second, picked up enough world ranking points to qualify for his first Masters and finally had a chance to meet Arnold Palmer.

McDowell could not have imagined where that would lead.

He was selected along with Curtis Strange, Peter Jacobsen, Annika Sorenstam and former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to serve as hosts of…