Our experts have broken down the betting odds and are ready to deliver their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. On cue, the wind steps forward as the primary defense to a course that surrendered a scoring average of 71.339 last year, which essentially is the expectation. Sundays finale easily will be the best round in the context of scoring conditions, but Bay Hills bite might strengthen even more than usual as the wind will rotate and howl in from the north. Stream on ESPN+. The goal will be to hit shorter irons into challenging targets with invisible forces poised to smack even properly executed strikes out of the sky. It was the largest 36-hole comeback at the WM Phoenix Open since it moved to TPC Scottsdale in 1987, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. 22. What I value as much as anything with approaches this week is long iron play. 1 coming out of the tournament. 4. The cutline has been over par in 10 of the last 11 years. 6. 18. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. Details of the variables of the week are below. 1. * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. A year ago, PGA National averaged 71.341, and thats pretty much where everyone expected it to land. Bradley, 36, is third in FedEx Cup points. It didnt matter to him that there were two fewer par 5s at the time, but thats always been a cornerstone weapon for the 82-time PGA TOUR winner. Previous rank: Not ranked The short game has been way off, but the ball striking continues to be there. Lee can wallop the ball. Hes unsurprisingly 1st in High Winds, and some of his recent top finishes came when the going got very tough. When the wind machine was on high for the final round, the course yielded a 75.481, highest for any final round on TOUR all season. In his defense, he might have needed a week to calm his nerves after his cliff-hanger shot in the third round at Pebble Beach. pic.twitter.com/djDjZuFQFy, 321 yards 13 feet@MaxHoma23 with one of the best drives of the week on 17 @WMPhoenixOpen. Scheffler is atop the OWGR for the second time in his career, after spending 30 weeks at No. Brutally difficult conditions led to Scottie Scheffler persevering to win at 5-under last year. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, Here's everything you missed this week in professional golf, Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense, Quigley fires 65 for early lead in PGA Champions, Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters, Tiger not part of field for next week's Players, Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open, Rahm stays hot, finishes strong for Bay Hill lead, Rookie Young captures Puerto Rico lead with 63. Patrick Cantlay : Cantlay quickly brushed off his surprising struggles in Phoenix with a 3rd at Riviera. The Englishman has played very well in his first two starts in 2022, tying for sixth at Pebble Beach and tying for 10th at TPC Scottsdale. 2. Previous rank: 6 The reigning U.S. Open winner has only four PGA Tour starts this season; his best finish was a tie for seventh at the Tournament of Champions. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports. Stream on ESPN+. He had six birdies in his first eight holes in the second round before picking up three bogeys on the second nine. 16. Official World Golf Rankings 2023 - Player Rankings - CBSSports.com What weve seen more often that not lately is Bermuda history continues to very relevant on Florida courses. Only 10 players broke par for 72 holes. Burns ranks 16th in strokes gained per round putting (.723) and is 16th in driving distance (312.0). If you want more Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions at even longer odds, our experts suggest looking at Jason Day (+3000), Billy Horschel (+10000) and Tom Hoge (+12500). PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. Just a friendly reminder that these aren't necessarily the 25 most talented players in the . 22. The course measures 7,261 yards for a par 70. Its going to be hot and humid this week but little to no rain is expected. He finished second in the Saudi International, 2 shots behind LIV Golf's Abraham Ancer, and collected $525,000. A cozy field of 120 is chasing a winners cut of 550 FedExCup points and $3.6 million from a prize fund of $20 million. Jason Kokrak 1. Morikawa is back from the Middle East and is scheduled to play at Riviera Country Club, which will be his first start on the U.S. mainland since a runner-up at The CJ Cup at Summit in mid-October. It currently plays to a par 70 at 7,244 yards with a 75.5 course rating and 149 slope rating. Missed fairways will be inevitable, so playing out of the thick rough with short irons instead of long irons is a big advantage. He flew back to the U.S. to compete in the WM Phoenix Open, and the long travel seemed to catch up with him. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. The California native has already won twice in his home state this season, picking up victories at the Fortinet Championship in Napa and Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Scheffler is the defending champion at Bay Hill, as he edged out Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel by a single stroke. The Spaniard finished in third place in Phoenix, 5 shots back, but was in contention once again. 9. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. PGA Championship 2022 Power Rankings: Top-50 Players This Week at Kevin Yu and Joseph Bramlett both finished T7 at Pebble and didnt get into the WM as predicted, but only Bramlett is committed to the Honda (as of Monday). In years past, I may have skewed driving stats toward Driving Distance on the week, but Ill simply be using SG: Off the Tee. He'll have a chance to get things right at Riviera, where he tied for second, 2 strokes behind Joaquin Niemann, last season. TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), SUNDAY: Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. But hes continued his elite golf as of late even if the driver hasnt quite been clicking. Nothing has gone terribly wrong for him, and theres a chance Kim will be happy to get back to the south where he first won. While golf may not have money lines, you can check out your wide variety of options while locking in our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. Going into Round 3 . Free to enter! As it has throughout the FedExCup era, PGA National Resorts Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens is the host. In addition to the aforementioned rewards, clutching the silver trophy and slipping on the iconic red sweater, the winner will be exempt into THE PLAYERS Championship through 2025 and his PGA TOUR membership will be extended through at least 2026. Harold Varner III The West Coast Swing, and for that matter the fortnight that was the Aloha Swing, fulfilled an alternate version of their nicknames. Chris Kirk lifted his first trophy since 2015 as he completely a lovely comeback story after dealing with alcoholism and depression. The field at Bay Hill is absolutely loaded once again for the PGA Tours new elevated events. Finished 5th here last year. Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill, Well see if history repeats itself again, and Scottie is clearly locked in. The Spanish player is about to begin his 38th week ranked No. 19. Hes never played the Arnold Palmer, but Cantlay has strong results in Florida and enjoys tough conditions. Completely disregarded the laws on physics on this one. 4. 18. Over his past six starts, Hoge finished tied for fourth, missed cut, solo second, missed cut, first and a tie for 14th. Xander Schauffele : Schauffele has been a bit lost since he tied the lead in Phoenix on Saturday, as he dropped to 10th there on Sunday and had a strange week at Riviera. Ranks 3rd in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 5th in the model. Cameron Young : The short game is still in shambles, but Young is showing signs of late with the elite ball striking that led him to Rookie of the Year in 2022. Thats enough of an intro. Kim, from South Korea, is tough to beat when his putter gets hot. Viktor Hovland The driver has been very consistent lately, so hell just need a colder than usual putter to get rolling. 7. A week after picking up his first PGA Tour victory, in his 203rd career start, at Pebble Beach, Hoge followed it with another top-15 at TPC Scottsdale. As of Tuesday, five commits are currently exempt into THE PLAYERS, so the PRO also is an opportunity for Nate Lashley, Max McGreevy, Scott Piercy, Austin Smotherman and Nick Watney to sharpen their tools for the PGA TOURs flagship event. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. Rahm still has the lead in the FedEx Cup points race. pic.twitter.com/Eud55ZASZc, the mug shot of the mulletted streaker from Friday at the WM Phoenix Open is rather perfect pic.twitter.com/ISyMDuc3me, Scheffler, Rahm and McIlroy battle for the top spot in PGA Tour Power Rankings, A battle for No. The Los Angeles native hasn't finished better than 26th in two starts at the Genesis Invitational. 2 ranked player in the world. Bay Hill gives players more approaches from 200 or more yards than any other course on Tour. In addition to fully exempt status in the winners category through 2025, the champion will earn exemptions into THE PLAYERS Championship next week, the PGA Championship in May and the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2024. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week Previous rank: 15 Previous rank: 16 Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. 11. Lees teed it up twice in 2023, both on the DP World Tours Middle-East swing. Much of Fitzpatrick's best work over the past few months has come in Europe, where he was second in the Italian Open and tied for fifth at the DP World Tour championship. He would have become only the fifth player to win it three times, joining Phil Mickelson, Mark Calcavecchia, Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer. Kim grabbed his fourth PGA Tour victory when he rallied from 3 shots back to catch Hayden Buckley and win the Sony Open in Hawaii. He posted another top-10 on Sunday, a tie for eighth, after overcoming a shaky driver in the first two rounds with a combined 11 fairways hit. 21+: TheLines.com and all content herein is intended for audiences 21 years and older. Each week in our golf power rankings, we will highlight the top players on the PGA TOUR in order of likeliness to win the tournament. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Billy Horschel Look for his following contributions as scheduled. 2023 Puerto Rico Open odds, picks, field: Surprising PGA predictions Just a friendly reminder that these aren't necessarily the 25 most talented players in the world or the 25 greatest players on tour. They're the 25 who have played the best this season and have the best form right now. There are designated events, and then there is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Hovland won the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event that Woods hosted in the Bahamas in December, but he hasn't done anything spectacular in official tournaments so far in 2023. 4 @WMPhoenixOpen. The injury is hopefully past him now, and we know Zalatoris is at his best in major-like conditions. He claimed the Houston Open in November and has four straight finishes of 16th or better since then, after finishing in a tie for 14th at Phoenix. 1 for more than another dozen years to catch Woods' record total of 679 weeks ranked atop the Official World Golf Ranking. It's the third ace of his career. Scheffler, who entered the week ranked No. Previous rank: 22 Bradley was just 2nd at Torrey Pines in a great field, and he has a 2nd and 3rd at Bay Hill. 35 on No. The next step in Lees young career is playing well on the PGA Tour. When he competed here last year, it was via Past Champion status and he was 1,030th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Just because you know what to do doesnt make it an easy task. Its an event dating back to 1972 thats been held at its current venue, PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, since 2007. While hes been a menace at events like the Valspar Championship and Sanderson Farms Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is one hed like to pick off next. He is scheduled to play in the Genesis Invitational. Spieth bounced back from disappointing back-to-back starts-he missed the cut at the Sony Open and tied for 63rd at Pebble Beach-to finish tied for sixth at TPC Scottsdale. I feel like I'm way better than that and I've been working harder to try to do that.". It started to come together at TPC Scottsdale. Did the former world No. After pulling out of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (he was the defending champion) because of a back injury, Berger missed the cut at TPC Scottsdale. He finished in a tie for third at 15-under. Jason Day : Day now has one finish worse than 21st in his last 10 starts, and hes tallied four Top 10s in that stretch. 16. He finished T16. MEN -- 10 needed to qualify on nine worldwide tours: PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Nationwide Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Southern Africa Tour, PGA Tour of AustralAsia . A cozy field of 120 is chasing a winners cut of 550 FedExCup points and $3.6 million from a prize fund of $20 million. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy entered the year ranked No. There havent been any significant modifications to Grand Reserve, a stock par 72 on the coast east of San Juan. Hideki Matsuyama Hes also 18th in scrambling (67.86%) and seventh in successfully going for the green (64.81%). Of course, he remains indefinitely beholden to when his extended recovery will allow him to play in accordance with a chosen schedule. Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama will be among the notables considered in Golfbet Insider. On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler reminded everyone in the sport who was ranked No. Weve seen high winds at Bay Hill in the past, and the course plays outrageously hard when thats the case. Young, the 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, had quite the week. Thomas posted his fifth top-20 finish in as many PGA Tour starts this season with a tie for eighth at the WM Phoenix Open. On a track that can reach 7,506 yards and with primary rough at a standard two inches in height, shorter hitters are influenced to just play their game, but like all proper tests, Grand Reserve rewards all archetypes. pic.twitter.com/U4xDqJhNHs. Ranks 7th in SG: OTT and 7th in SG: APP. The Australian took the week off after tying for 28th in last week's Saudi International. Jon Rahm is a +650 favorite to triumph at Bay Hill. *: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "High praise from Michael Greller on @JordanSpieth's ridiculous shot on 17 @WMPhoenixOpen. Previous rank: 17 Former Ryder Cup members Shane Lowry, Alex Noren,. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, odds, Fantasy golf power rankings: PGA Tour predictions and best bets from top golf expert Jim Holliman, who has been rolling with his golf picks this season, offers his PGA Tour golf best bets and top players for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill McIlroy (2018) is another former champion of the tournament. The cash and the stakes arent as high as they were in recent weeks in Scottsdale and Los Angeles, but the Honda Classic is still a worthwhile watch. Previous rank: 7 It had chased a couple of grumbles on the Korn Ferry Tour just before that. : Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Viktor Hovland : Hovlands short game continues to let him down as he struggles to get much going since his run at The Open at St. Andrews. Scroll to the bottom to find odds comparisons for every golfer in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Jon Rahm He was playing incredibly consistent golf before that, and his history at Arnold Palmer is very strong with a pair of 3rd place finishes and nothing worse than 21st in 4 tries. Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - 2023 Arnold Palmer That makes Proximity: 200+ Yards a key statistic this week since we seen many courses go by where players barely hit a long iron outside of Par 5s. Still, given his track record at Bay Hill and doses of phenomenal form a fortnight ago at Riviera, youll excuse any competitor for not missing him on the leaderboard this week. An unforgettable PGA Tour season reaches its second major championship this week, as the best of the best golfers in the world congregate in the oil capital of the world, better known as Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Southern Hills Country Club hosts the 2022 PGA Championship. 3. Since winning the Shriners Children's Open in October, he tied for fifth at the Tournament of Champions and for sixth at the American Express. Finished 9th here in 2020. 10. 11. Were now onto a multi-week jaunt through Florida starting with the Honda Classic. 9. Sam Burns, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's. Day climbed from No. Let's get down to the top 10 players to get it done at PGA National: 10 Min Woo Lee OWGR: T-47th, FedEx Cup: --, Min Woo Lee is making his Honda Classic debut this week on a sponsor exemption.. PGA Tour Power Rankings: Time to make a change at the top The question will be if the putter does enough to win. You neednt consider further than the household names among first-time winners such at Tony Finau (2016) and Viktor Hovland (2020) to understand the springboard effect that the Puerto Rico Open can have. So, course management and accepting par as a great score at times will be key. MJ Daffue The first-time PGA TOUR member finally connected for his first top 25 of the season at The Honda Classic. Its officially a designated event in 2023, but you dont need to conceive a visual of the King himself winking, grinning and giving a thumbs-up to approve what we already know, that this tournament is special. This will be even more pronounced in tomorrow's slate, with winds looking to be brutal as the day progresses. These Bermuda greens are fast and pure, and the winner here tends to have a really strong week with the flat stick. They turned out to be foreshocks for four months of brilliant form that yielded a return to fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR. James Hahn unplugged: This is what PGA Tour's rank-&-file really think 2023 WM Phoenix Open picks, odds, Fantasy golf power rankings: PGA Tour Factors at play on the rankings are (in no order): Using the guidelines above to create a statistical model, value can be found in the betting market by highlighting players whose outlook for the tournament may be flying under the radar to the general public. Many lower-ranked golfers will. Finally, the forecast for this week is predicting very high winds on Friday and Saturday along with consistent winds for the rest of the week. Scheffler will defend his title as The No. Justin Thomas Rickie Fowler : You cant look past Fowlers recent iron play, as the former top 5 player has gained more than 15 strokes on approach in his last three starts. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. The Florida swing on the PGA Tour begins this week at the 2023 Honda Classic as players aim to kickstart their seasons in the Sunshine State. He has three top-10s in his past four starts at Riviera, where he has never won. Ranks 1st in SG: OTT and 1st in GIRs Gained. Other results in Orlando include T-49th in 2018, T-54th in 2019, T-36th in 2020, and a missed cut in 2021. The PGA Tour had a golf tournament this past weekend, and Sungjae Im didn't participate. PGA Tour Power Rankings - Cameron Smith rises, Rory McIlroy surges and He had three victories in his previous eight worldwide starts. Its fun to watch the games best have to struggle to make par and be tested on a tough layout. Unlike the last two tournaments that exceeded the allotted reservation to make room for all automatically eligible PGA TOUR members both were designated events the cap of 144 at PGA National is the field size as advertised. Of the 23 Player Impact Program winners, the only not to commit is Tiger Woods. Cantlay, who is ranked No. Still, the last two winners of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau make it clear that elite drivers win around here. Proud of how I fought around the golf course.". The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Max Homa His best finish in three starts this year was a tie for 13th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 14. Bay Hill currently measures 7,419 yards for a par 72. pic.twitter.com/gpqP1Q1WlN. Michael Kim Hes a living, breathing example of the power of the additional event. On cue, the wind steps forward as the primary defense to a course that surrendered a scoring average of 71.339 last year, which essentially is the expectation. 1 last season, following his victory at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. Ranks 4th in SG: APP and 7th in Proximity: 200+ Yards. The 26-year-old finished runner-up in two of the four majors in 2022, finished tied for sixth at the Masters and also recorded top-five performances at Muirfield Village and Torrey Pines. Power Rankings: Sentry Tournament of Champions - Pro Golf Weekly This years field is as weak as this tournaments seen in years. There may not be a man in golf Id rather have standing over the ball in high winds. Ranks 10th in the model and 11th in SG: APP. By Friday, thatll be the sustained average for the prevailing push from the southwest, while gusts will reach 35 mph. Hes much better on Bermuda, and hes worth a look this week due to his strong ball striking and ability to get it around well in high winds. PGA Championship Fantasy Golf Power Rankings: Odds and Picks | SBR He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented . With that being said, some of the players who have caught fire on the greens arent necessarily great putters historically, so well take an average look at SG: Putting on Bermuda. It's the first time the tour has had three consecutive first-time winners since 2019. The former LSU star had been red-hot since the start of the 2021-22 season back in September, but back-to-back missed cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open have cooled him off considerably. 17. 17 took a bad bounce and went into the water, resulting in a bogey. Get ESPN+ here | Download the app | WatchESPN. This event has annually attracted strong fields since it began in 1966 and moved to current host course, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, in 1979. It was the last time Honda will host the tournament at PGA National. Power Rankings: The Honda Classic - pgatour.com 5. pic.twitter.com/RQMtrMLJ8D. Theres usually rain during at least some point in the event and water lurks around many corners. Impressive stuff. PGA Tour Power Rankings: 2016 Honda Classic 1. Free Kentucky Derby Contest! Ranking Four World Championship Tournaments. RECORDS: A player's won-lost-tied record, based on head-to-head competition, in each category. His current form is absolutely terrible, as hes been dealing with an injury and the irons have been awful. It didnt matter to him that there were two fewer par 5s at the time, but thats always been a cornerstone weapon for the 82-time PGA TOUR winner. Previous rank: 21 Ranks 19th in the model. The PGA Tour heads north to central Florida to visit Orlando and continue the Florida Swing at one of the most well-known events of the season. TifEagle bermuda greens are larger than average in size (and not overseeded), but theyre equipped to flirt with and exceed 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. Last week at PGA National gave us a fun week considering the lack of star power in the field. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Tyrrell Hatton : With some solid form building and a trip back to Florida, Hatton has to be in good spirits going to Bay Hill. 8. 8. Also recorded a T11 at Pebble Beach four weeks ago. One of those was at Bay Hill in 2021, and hes been solid here in three starts. Scottie Scheffler became the third straight first-time winner on tour, beating Patrick Cantlay in a sudden-death playoff with a 26-foot putt Sunday at TPC Scottsdale. Ranks 1st in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 4th in the model. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are among them, and Scheffler comes in as the defending champion. He had been too inconsistent off the tee and his putting hadn't been great, either. He's coming. The driver and putter are putting in elite work, while the irons have shown enough life at times to get him near the top of the leaderboard. Like the TV newscaster in the classic movie "Network," Hahn is mad as hell except he's mad as hell about the changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2024. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: Top 10 Power Rankings at Bay Hill In fact, a field has beaten par in a round just twice since PGA National assumed its role as the host in 2007. Schauffele made more than 89 feet of putts -- on the first five holes Sunday. FREE Picks Contest For the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Win An Amazon Gift Card Instantly! 16. Even with a playoff loss Sunday, one can argue that the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year is playing better than anyone right now -- even world No. With primary rough at least 3 inches high, distance and accuracy off the tee plays up all week. Numerous changes have been made to PGA National in the last 12 months, but most of the impactful modifications involved bunkering on seven holes. Bet Now TULSA, Okla. Marc Leishman 15 and 17 annually are among the most challenging as a set on TOUR, a fact due to sustained breezes from a southeasterly direction.