The swing through the Sunshine State continues this week when the PGA Tour heads to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The event annually attracts a strong field with a number of top golfers attacking the Bay Hill Club and Lodge to pay tribute to the tournament’s namesake. There was a development this week with defending champ Bryson DeChambeau withdrawing from the event due to injury. Still, the top of the odds board is stacked with world No. 1 Jon Rahm positioned as the betting favorite. Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler are next in line as the only other players with shorter than 20/1 odds. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Arnold Palmer Invitational
Jon Rahm +900
Rory McIlroy +1400
Viktor Hovland +1500
Scottie Scheffler +1600
Hideki Matsuyama +2200
Will Zalatoris +2500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +2800
Adam Scott +3000
Tyrrell Hatton +3000
Sungjae Im +3300
Marc Leishman +3500
Keith Mitchell +4000
Max Homa +4000
Paul Casey +4000
Sam Burns +4000
Talor Gooch +4500
Gary Woodland +5000
Jason Kokrak +5000
Billy Horschel +5500
Cameron Tringale +5500
Russell Henley +5500
Jason Day +6000
Sergio Garcia +6000
Tommy Fleetwood +6000
Corey Conners +6600
Lanto Griffin +6600
Maverick McNealy +6600
Chris Kirk +7000
Justin Rose +7000
Odds Analysis
Tommy Fleetwood +6000
I may have jumped the gun on Fleetwood picking him as an outright favorite last week. That didn’t go so well as he missed the cut at the Honda Classic. But that does give us favorable odds this week and I’m not about to give up on him yet. The turnaround from a successful stay in the Middle East might have been too much and given some time to decompress I’ll back the Englishman at this price. He collected a pair of top-12s in his last two Middle Eastern events and he has three top-10s, including a podium finish, at this lot in five tries. It’s hard not to back him even though the field is deep.
Jason Kokrak +5000
Another player I see with value is Kokrak. Ranked No. 26 in the world, he’s played well of late and clearly has a fondness for Bay Hill given his past results. Kokrak emerged victorious at the Houston Open last November and triumphed at the QBE Shootout with partner Kevin Na in December. He’s 3 for 3 in 2022, though his best finish was T17 in the Sony Open. He has four top-10s in his last eight starts here with an eighth place showing last year. That’s enough for me to give him a look this week.
Marc Leishman +3500
Another player who checks a lot of boxes for success on this layout is Leishman. His odds aren’t as favorable as Fleetwood or Kokrak since he’s played well all season, but still he carries some value in a loaded field. He has six top-20s in eight starts with three doubling as top-10s. He ranks among the top-15 on Tour in scoring average and he’s a past winner taking the 2017 crown. Along with that he has two other podiums and he should be considered in alternate markets too.
Rory McIlroy +1400
This event has witnessed some of the biggest names in golf take the title so it’s a worthwhile gamble to look at the favorites. I backed away from Rahm since he’s debuting in this event and Bay Hill can get the best of the best. But McIlroy feels at home on this course with finishes of T11 or better in six of his seven starts, including a victory in 2018. And he’s playing extremely well with a T10 in the Genesis a few weeks ago following a 3-T12 combo in the Middle East. It almost seems like a no-brainer to back McIlroy.
Adam Scott +3000
Scott has had plenty of success in Florida, Bay Hill included. Three of his 14 career Tour victories have come in the Sunshine State with a pair of third-place finishes at this joint. He’s played the weekend in every Tour start this season grabbing top-5s in the CJ CUP and most recently in the Genesis. He can handle the elements and with a few breaks going his way he could be standing at the top of the podium on Sunday.
Course: Bay Hill Club and Lodge – 7,466 yards, Par 72
Arnold Palmer loved the property so much he purchased the course in 1975. He negotiated with the PGA Tour to bring an official tournament to Orlando in 1979 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been played ever since. The layout has undergone a few renovations in the years since to increase its appeal to amateurs and the public while remaining a challenge for Tour pros who visit every year. The strategy has proven successful. It’s a stock par 72 that plays long. Wide fairways are a bonus, but the par 4s need to be played conservatively making this a second-shot course. Scoring can be made up on the par 5s. Though the track is straightforward it yields closer to par scores on average. And it’s Florida so expect water to be a factor and there’s always a chance wind plays a role like it did at last year when the final round scoring average was 75.49.
TV Coverage: NBC, Golf Channel
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu.
