The organizers of the Arnold Palmer Invitational pulled a surprise by denying sponsor exemptions to PGA Tour fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.

Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, arguably two of the bigger draws in golf, have been informed they will not be receiving sponsor exemptions into next week's signature event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill,

Jordan Spieth will not compete at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next week, after his poor run of form saw him fail to qualify automatically or through a sponsor exemption

Tournament director Drew Donovan declined to name any of the four sponsor invites or to divulge the selection committee’s criteria.

Arnold Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders has confirmed that Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth have both missed out on exemptions for Bay Hill this year

Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth were both rejected from participating in the Arnold Palmer Invitational with Palmer's grandson explaining why the duo were not selected