Arnold Palmer brought the house down when he held court on Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at the scene of his own tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, on Wednesday. After paying world No 1 McIlroy a warm tribute and expressing his delight that he had come to play in the event for the first time, the King was asked about Tiger’s absence, and the fact they supposedly spoke for an hour on the phone. Palmer gave the questioner a quizzical look and replied: ‘An hour? Whoever told you that was full of s***!’ Arnold Palmer revealed his joy that Rory McIlroy is competing for the first time in the tournament he hosts . McIlroy is present but  eight-time winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods (left), is not . Palmer backed Woods to return from his injury problems and become a great player once again . Woods (left) last won the competition in 2013 and is pictured receiving the trophy from Palmer . The laughter in the media tent could probably be heard 300 yards away on the golf course. The 85-year-old was in fabulous form as he confirmed that not even a dislocated shoulder suffered during a fall at his home in January will keep him away from hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the Masters, alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, next month. ‘I’m going to hit a few golf balls next week and I have every intention of being at Augusta to play the first shot at the Masters, I can assure you of that,’ he said. ‘I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym. I still try to exercise three times a week because I think it’s important. Heck, I’m going to get old one of these days and I want to be in shape when it happens.’ Cue more laughter. On the subject of McIlroy, Palmer said: ’I’m so pleased he’s come this year, we’re very happy to have him. And I’ve got a good feeling about Rory this week. I’ve a feeling he’s going to snap to it and play very well.’ McIlroy has had a disappointing time of it so far in Florida. In his two previous outings in the Sunshine State, he missed the halfway cut in the Honda Classic and finished tied 9th in the Cadillac Championship at Doral. This is his last scheduled tournament before his historic tilt at a career Grand Slam at the Masters. Palmer (right) spoke to the media ahead of the start of the tournament in Florida on Thursday . Palmer said he feels McIlroy will have a good week but he has struggled lately when competing in Florida . McIlroy is in a three-ball with Rickie Fowler (left) and Jason Day for his first two rounds of the event . On the other side of the coin, Palmer expressed his disappointment that Woods, who has won this tournament at Bay Hill in Orlando no fewer than eight times, could not make it for the second successive year. ‘It was very nice of him to ring me to tell me he wasn’t coming and we will definitely miss him,’ said Palmer. ‘His record here is the best in any one tournament on the same golf course in the whole sport, so it’s a shame. 'All I would say is that he’s doing the right thing to work his way back to his best. It’s all about practising hard because that’s how you rediscover your confidence. I’ve known him since he was 3ft high and that’s how he became a great player and how he will become a great player again.’ The tournament begins on Thursday with McIlroy in a belter of a group, alongside good friend Rickie Fowler and Australian Jason Day. Palmer (centre) insists he will hit the first tee shot of the Masters with Gary Player (right) and Jack Nicklaus . Palmer (centre) vowed to personally reply to all of his fan mail after dislocating his shoulder before Christmas . As for Palmer, if you want to know why he’s the most loved figure the game has ever known, consider his response when asked about the mountain of mail that’s grown since he suffered his shoulder injury. ‘I like to reply to people who take the trouble to write and believe me the mail had gathered higher than me last week,’ he said. ‘But that’s what we’re going to continue to do and we’re working our way through it. We’re just about a day’s work behind now. We’ll get there.’
Arnold Palmer lauded Rory McIlroy for playing his event for the first time . The 85-year-old believes Tiger Woods will come back as 'a great player'
Palmer insists he will hit first shot at the Masters despite injuring shoulder .