- March 26, 2026
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There’s an office in the southeast corner of the Bay Hill Club and Lodge’s second floor. Among framed photographs, hardcover books and shiny trophies is a worn leather chair.
Arnold Palmer sat there. Until his death in 2016, the legendary golfer called the Orlando-based club home during the winters, when playing conditions weren’t so favorable in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Noah Kumar found himself in that chair, too. He played multiple tournaments at Bay Hill while on the American Junior Golf Association circuit, and was sure to visit Palmer’s timeless office.
“The way he carried himself throughout his professional career is something that most golfers, including myself, aspire to do,” Kumar said. “Handle things with class.”
To him, “The King” was the ultimate professional. He’s tried to follow suit.
Kumar, after all, is a pro himself these days. The 23-year-old will make the first Korn Ferry Tour appearance of his career at the LECOM Suncoast Classic from April 2-5.
It’s shaping up to be a homecoming for the 2020 Cardinal Mooney graduate, since tournament host Lakewood National Golf Club lies just over 10 miles northeast of his alma mater. With it comes an opportunity to compete on the official developmental tour of the PGA Tour.
He spent last season on the PGA Tour Americas and made one of nine cuts en route to 77th place at the Bromont Open in Quebec, Canada. In a way, he’s still a rookie among the pros, having graduated college in May 2025.
Failing to reach the final round in eight different events showed him firsthand what the sport looks and feels like when money is on the line.
“Everyone is really good at this level, and it's just finding the very small details in your game to get to that next level,” Kumar said. “The difference between missing a cut by one or two (strokes) and making a decent-sized check on the weekend… they're very small margins.”
Rutgers was his red-and-black-painted bridge from high school to the pros.
He transferred there after playing for Florida Southern of NCAA Division II in 2021-22, and ultimately competed with the Scarlet Knights for the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons.
That journey included a year away for Kumar to focus on health and training. When he returned to action as a fifth-year, he secured the best finish of his collegiate career, placing second in the Gopher Invitational of October 2024 by shooting four under par at Windsong Farm Golf Club.
He didn’t second guess trying to make a living as a golfer, but when he left New Jersey behind, he was also honest with himself about what needed to change.
“I didn’t have a standout career,” Kumar said. “I'd have a couple good finishes here and there, but I never won in college. And I was a little rough around the edges in terms of my golf game.”
Vivek Kumar, his father, was always high on Noah Kumar’s potential. He uprooted their family’s life to take a new job in Lakewood Ranch, where his son could go all-in on golf.
It was Pennsylvania — not Florida — where the Kumar-Palmer connection began.
The 62-time PGA champion’s name was well-established where Kumar grew up. Their Pittsburgh home was roughly a one-hour drive from Palmer’s birthplace of Latrobe. At one point, Kumar played a tournament in that very town.
Still, golf in the Northeast had its limitations. Playing in the winter was impossible, and in the late fall or early spring, it wasn’t much easier.
Vivek Kumar recognized that a different environment could benefit his son’s development. So after Noah Kumar wrapped up eighth grade, they packed up the car and drove to Florida.
As a member of the first graduating class from LECOM in 1997, Vivek Kumar now serves as chief of staff at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
“I wanted to make sure we put the opportunity out in front of him to see if he would run with it,” Kumar said. “And he has.”
While a senior at Cardinal Mooney, Noah Kumar was ranked No. 1 in the state by the FHSAA in September 2019. Junior Golf Scoreboard had him No. 92 in the country for his class at that time.
He later leveraged his experiences with Rutgers and Florida Southern into an appearance at midseason qualifying school for the PGA Tour Americas. There, he earned full status for the remainder of 2025, finishing third by shooting 11 under par at The Country Club of Ocala.
After up-and-down years of play at the collegiate level, it represented rebirth.
“Professional golf is my opportunity to start with a blank slate and rewrite my story as a golfer,” Kumar said. “I was given another opportunity to see where my golf game can take me.”
To this day, Palmer’s office at Bay Hill remains. It has stayed in honor of his memory.
During his six-plus decades around the sport, he became the shining example for aspiring golfers who wanted to embody professionalism at the highest level.
Kumar is one of them.
“He decided," said Vivek Kumar. "To be like Arnold."
