Monday Notebook: Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Weather : The 10:00 a.m. resumption of play was delayed until 11:58 p.m. due to heavy rain. Rain continued into late morning on Monday. A total of 1.50 inches fell on Sunday and .85 inches fell on Monday.

• This marks the third Monday finish this season on the PGA TOUR (Bob Hope Classic, Puerto Rico Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational).

Related

Leaderboard: Round 4
Scorecard: Ernie Els
Live Report: Monday
Daily Wrap-Up: Monday

• The last Monday finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational came in 1982, when Tom Kite, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson completed the final round tied atop the leaderboard. Kite chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 15) to post the win.

• Ernie Els posted a 1-under 71 on Monday to finish 11-under 277, capturing the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard by two strokes over Kevin Na and Edoardo Molinari The win is the 18 th of his career, and the second of 2010 (World Golf Championships-CA Championship).

• The win is worth 500 FedExCup points and moves Els to No. 1 in the 2010 standings, 393 points ahead of Steve Stricker.

• Els by the numbers: Has finished inside the top 10 in nine out of his last 16 starts on the PGA TOUR ... Has won 12 of 17 PGA TOUR events when holding the third-round lead/co-lead, including the last eight.

• This week marked the 16th appearance for Els at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. During those starts, he has posted 12 made cuts and three top-10 finishes (1st -1998, T9-2002, 1st -2010).

• Els becomes the first golfer to win back-to-back starts on TOUR since Tiger Woods in 2009 (Buick Open and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational). He has now won back-to-back starts three times in his PGA TOUR career (also at the 2003 SBS Championship and Sony Open in Hawaii and the 1997 U.S. Open and Buick Classic).

• Since 1980, only five players have won two events in the same year on the Florida swing.

• The runner-up finish by Edoardo Molinari is the first of his PGA TOUR career in just his third start as a professional.

• Italian Molinari earned a spot in the field this week by being in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

• Molinari lost in the first round at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and finished 61st at the CA Championship. Molinari played seven TOUR events as in amateur in 2005 and 2006.

• Molinari teamed with his brother Francesco to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup last year. Francesco finished T4 on Sunday at the European Tour's Open de Andalucia de Golf in Málaga, Spain.

• Chris Couch (T4) is playing on a Major Medical Extension in 2010. At the start of the year he had 21 events to earn $796,087. With Monday's $264,000 paycheck, he has now earned $577,677 in eight starts this season.

• Sam Saunders, the grandson of tournament host Arnold Palmer, posted a final-round even-par 72 to finish T50. He has made the cut in three of five professional starts on TOUR, with a career-best T17 at the 2010 Honda Classic.

• Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton has made the cut in all three starts this season (T40-Mayakoba Golf Classic, T61-Puerto Rico Open, T30-Arnold Palmer Invitational).

• Kevin Sutherland finished T59 in his 400th career start on TOUR.

• Past champions of the Arnold Palmer Invitational who teed it up this week: Rod Pampling (T40), Kenny Perry (MC), Tim Herron (T52), Ernie Els (1st ), Phil Mickelson (T30), Paul Goydos (T66), Andrew Magee (MC), Robert Gamez (MC).

• The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win seven of 13 times on TOUR this season, including the last four weeks (Camilo Villegas at the Honda Classic, Ernie Els at the CA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Jim Furyk at the Transitions Championship).

• The season-long $1 million Kodak Challenge featured the 458-yard, par-4 18th hole this week. Through the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Kevin Na holds the lead at 6-under.

• Bogey-free rounds:

R1 -- J.B. Holmes (66), Chris DiMarco (69), Boo Weekley (70)
R2 -- Joe Ogilvie (66), K.J. Choi (69), Chris Couch (70)
R3 -- None
R4 -- Bo Van Pelt (70)