The Florida Swing continues with the second of four straight tournaments in the Sunshine State when the field pegs it up for the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting Thursday. The fourth Signature Event of the PGA Tour season always attracts a strong field with eight of the OWGR top 10 in attendance. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler paces the field as the betting favorite in the outright market just ahead of No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Last year Kurt Kitayama proved that anything can happen when he emerged victorious as a near 200/1 longshot. It doesn’t happen often when a player that far down the odds board wins a tournament with this much star power, but it does happen. Kitayama and Scheffler won the previous two events with McIlroy and Jason Day past winners since 2016 ready to take another spin around Arnie’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Those players are featured in matchups with updated odds available at BookMaker.eu when you’re ready to place a wager.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Matchup Odds
Scottie Scheffler -138 vs. Rory McIlroy +115
Scottie Scheffler -179 vs. Xander Schauffele +148
Rory McIlroy -150 vs. Xander Schauffele +125
Viktor Hovland -120 vs. Patrick Cantlay +100
Viktor Hovland -120 vs. Collin Morikawa +100
Patrick Cantlay -110 vs. Collin Morikawa -110
Jordan Spieth +100 vs. Ludvig Aberg -120
Justin Thomas +106 vs. Ludvig Aberg -127
Max Homa +100 vs. Sam Burns -120
Max Homa +100 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -120
Sam Burns -110 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -110
Will Zalatoris -118 vs. Min Woo Lee -102
Matthew Fitzpatrick -110 vs. Cameron Young -110
Jason Day -120 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +100
Tom Kim -128 vs. Sahith Theegala +107
Harris English -105 vs. Chris Kirk -115
Sungjae Im -138 vs. Eric Cole +115
J.T. Poston -105 vs. Jake Knapp -115
Russell Henley -127 vs. Si Woo Kim +106
Corey Conners -140 vs. Shane Lowry +117
Adam Hadwin -117 vs. Kurt Kitayama -103
Luke List -129 vs. Rickie Fowler +108
Cameron Davis +110 vs. Denny McCarthy -132
Stephan Jaeger -127 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout +106
Nick Taylor +108 vs. Adam Svensson -129
Austin Eckroat -105 vs. Lucas Glover -115
Brian Harman -110 vs. Justin Rose -110
Brendon Todd +115 vs. Patrick Rodgers -138
Andrew Putnam -138 vs. C.T. Pan +115
Taylor Moore +125 vs. Adam Schenk -150
Nick Dunlap -125 vs. Mackenzie Hughes +105
Webb Simpson -144 vs. Grayson Murray +120
Need to Know
Tournament host since 1979, Bay Hill has seen few changes to its layout since that first edition. The modifications that were made were designed to increase the appeal to amateurs and the public while remaining a challenge for Tour pros. A recent renovation added close to 50 yards putting the scorecard distance at 7,466 yards. It plays long but is inviting with wide fairways. However, thick rough puts accuracy at a premium and brings into play long irons. The par 4s don’t typically yield a lot of birdies so making up strokes will be done on the four par 5s that average 557 yards. Being in Florida there is plenty of water and wind is always a factor. Each of the last four tournaments was won by a single stroke with three winners, including Kitayama last year, finishing with a single-digit below par score.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Matchup Picks
Xander Schauffele +125 vs. Rory McIlroy
Recent results at Bay Hill played a role in the odds for this matchup. McIlroy has a win and five additional top 10s in his nine visits while Schauffele is looking for his first top 20. So of course I have to back the X-man because his price is extreme. And he’s playing much better than his counterpart on the lead in with four top 10s in five starts that included a T3 at the AMX and most recently a T4 at The Genesis, and he always seems to kick it up a notch in the toughest fields.
Jordan Spieth +100 vs. Ludvig Aberg
Spieth seems like a mild-mannered guy so I’m sure it stung when he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard at The Genesis. And with this being his first competition since then he’s eager to erase that gaffe from his memory bank. He opened that event with a 66 and appeared well on his way to another strong finish that also included a T3 at The Sentry and T6 in Phoenix in three starts. He’s also had success in two stops at Bay Hill registering a T4 each time.
Harris English -105 vs. Chris Kirk
I’ve backed English in matchups in the past and more times than not he’s come through for me. Taking into his account recent form he looks to be another solid investment this week. He’s overcome health issues that shelved him in the past and is playing arguably the best of his career with two top 10s among his four top 20s in six starts this season. English has also done well at Bay Hill with two top 10s in his last three starts, including a runner-up last year.
Sahith Theegala +107 vs. Tom Kim
Having followed college golf for years I became quite familiar with Theegala during his days at Pepperdine and had a feeling he would be a successful pro after a dominant career. He hasn’t disappointed and continues to be a threat earning a pair of top 5s while going 5 of 6 this season. His best showing was a runner-up at The Sentry with a solo fifth in Phoenix continuing a run from last season where picked up his first Tour victory and ended with five top 20s in his last six starts.
Jason Day -120 vs. Hideki Matsuyama
A confident Day on a course that’s treated him well over the years is a scary proposition. Hell, I backed him for the outright so I better take him in a matchup since he’s playing so well. That could all change, but betting the hot hand is always a smart move. Day enters the week with three top 10s in five starts most recently claiming a solo ninth at The Genesis. Day has also made the cut in 11 of 12 starts at Bay Hill with a win in 2016 and a T10 last year among his six top 25s.
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