A neck injury that forced Tiger Woods to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Monday started a chain of dominoes falling that enabled Chris Stroud to get into the tournament that starts today at Bay Hill in Orlando.

Stroud began the week as the fourth alternate in the event that has a field of only 120 players, instead of the usual 156 for a regular PGA Tour stop. Informed that he’d moved up to first alternate on Tuesday, he boarded a flight to Orlando.

The Port Neches-Groves ex learned while in the air that Robert Gamez had withdrawn, thus putting him in the field. He will tee off at 12:07 today.

Stroud figures to be somewhat rusty. He has not played since missing the cut at Riviera in Los Angeles three weeks ago, and has not practiced because of minor complications from sinus surgery that knocked him out of last week’s Honda Classic.

PNG’s other player on the PGA Tour — Andrew Landry — is also in the field and tees off at 7:20 a.m.