Rahm will surely be targeted by plenty of golf pundits in their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. Just because you know what to do doesnt make it an easy task. 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. looped in on merit, so even its reorder at the conclusion of the West Coast Swing had no impact. 3 will tee it up at a place hes won at and has finished worse than 13th just once in eight tries. Finished 3rd and 11th here last two years. Sungjae Im is the highest among them at No. 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. Of course, he remains indefinitely beholden to when his extended recovery will allow him to play in accordance with a chosen schedule. The Irishman has it going again with a 14th Riviera and 5th at Honda with more excellent ball striking. Joe Nicely's under-the-radar DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. 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. Ranks 9th in SG: Par 5 and 12th in High Winds. With a win, each also would qualify for the 2024 editions of the API. 1 for much of last season, when he won four times, including his first major championship (at the Masters). He also took T-21st at last years Open Championship. Speaking of top-10s, the LSU alum has a pair of them already in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season at the CJ Cup (T-7th) and WM Phoenix Open (T-6th). Rahm would have to be ranked No. pic.twitter.com/RQMtrMLJ8D. 91 to No. Collin Morikawa He had six birdies in his first eight holes in the second round before picking up three bogeys on the second nine. He had back-to-back top-five finishes at the Genesis before missing the cut last year. Rory McIlroy is not human. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images). There are designated events, and then there is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The Spanish player is about to begin his 38th week ranked No. 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 . Previous rank: 11 1, LIV Golf's debut on The CW scores low ratings, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Kirk wins Honda in playoff; 1st title since 2015, Howell (63) wins in Mexico for 1st title in LIV, Nicklaus: '24 schedule likely to aid Honda field, Siem ends 8-year wait for another Euro Tour title, Vu overcomes 6-shot deficit to win 1st LPGA title, Scheffler repeats at Phoenix Open, back to No. Cantlay has six straight top-10s dating to his back-to-back victories in the FedEx Cup playoffs at the end of last season. Jon Rahm Thats where 2022 PRO champion Ryan Brehm is competing this week. Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill, Hovland was one of the best iron players on tour last season; he was first in approach shots from 200 to 225 yards, second from 125 to 150, and third from 175 to 200. 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. In 2022, Lee struggled early on with one top-10 in his first 20 starts. PGA Championship 2022 Power Rankings: Top-50 Players This Week at Southern Hills Golf Credit: Getty Images. Previous rank: 6 They took their cuts and delivered. Only eight of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings are playing the Honda Classic. Scroll to the bottom to find odds comparisons for every golfer in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished tied for third, his first top-20 finish in his past 11 tour starts. 12 Bryson DeChambeau (injury) is missing the top 15 in the OWGR. Hes also 18th in scrambling (67.86%) and seventh in successfully going for the green (64.81%). Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama will be among the notables considered in Golfbet Insider. Average-sized paspalum greens wont exceed 11 feet on the Stimpmeter because of the omnipresence of the sea breezes from the east. Theegala is the first player this season to hold at least a share of two 54-hole leads. Kim, from South Korea, is tough to beat when his putter gets hot. After opening with a 70 in Phoenix, he caught fire over the final 54 holes to tie for sixth. While golf may not have money lines, you can check out your wide variety of options while locking in our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. 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. When he competed here last year, it was via Past Champion status and he was 1,030th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Cantlay ranks 127th on tour in shots gained: approach (-.117). Rory McIlroy : Lets not overreact to a very cold putter from McIlroy in mediocre results at Phoenix and Riviera. He won here in 2020, finished 2nd last year, and added a 4th as a debutant in 2017. Here is the list of favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook: If you or a loved one has questions or needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. Because it can stretch to 7,466 yards and winds often punish, muscle almost always has contributed to the profile of the champion. Former Ryder Cup members Shane Lowry, Alex Noren,. He was unable to earn his card through Korn Ferry Tour Finals last year, but he can redeem himself by going low at PGA National. Jason Kokrak Follow your favorite players throughout the 2023 season. When looking at players who can perform at difficult courses, Zalatoris name has to be in the conversation. Now 291st in the OWGR, the 29-year-old is seeking to rekindle the form that he flashed here last year. Previous rank: 22 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. You can bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational at DraftKings Sportsbook. However, with five consecutive paydays going back to 2016, three of which for a top 10, itd be surprising only if he wasnt among others to consider, and hes hardly a throw-in. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. 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. Justin Thomas 10. 2. 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. Daytime temperatures will eclipse 80 degrees and the threat for rain is relegated to a passing shower at worst. As one of three invitationals on Tour, its an invite-only field of 120 players and provides automatic three-year exemption status to the winner of the event instead of the standard two years. 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. Who's on the bubble in men's CBB? His current form is absolutely terrible, as hes been dealing with an injury and the irons have been awful. PGA Tour Power Rankings: 2016 Honda Classic 1. 1 Jon Rahm. He has three top-10s in his past four starts at Riviera, where he has never won. Ranks 1st in the model, 3rd in SG: OTT, 3rd in High Winds and 3rd in GIRs Gained. One prize fight after another. Sahith Theegala Well look at SG: Approach as well as Greens in Regulations Gained to get a grasp on the guys who will be avoiding trouble with their irons this week and making plenty of pars. Shortest in odds and claiming top honor is Sungjae Im. 2. 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. *: 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. 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. @StewartCink is already rocking a @KDTrey5 jersey pic.twitter.com/FQLxm4tuo8. Ranks 22nd in High Winds. Finau has (barely) cooled off from his sizzling stretch last season, in which he won in back-to-back starts and was ninth at the Tour Championship. Stewart Cink knew how to win over the Phoenix fans. Length is not a huge advantage this week as fairway woods and irons are the common play on many par-4s and par-5s. Jason Sobel Updated: May 18, 2022, 11:21 AM EDT Download App Click arrow to expand 2022 PGA Championship odds via BetMGM Bet the PGA Championship risk-free up to $1,000. He had made 13 straight cuts, which was the longest active streak on tour. Ranks 2nd in SG: P and 16th in the model. 9. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. No one is exactly sure why, considering Im likes to play -- a lot. 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. 15 and 17 annually are among the most challenging as a set on TOUR, a fact due to sustained breezes from a southeasterly direction. Matt Fitzpatrick He won the Fortinet Championship in September and then cooled off. Schauffele made too many mistakes down the stretch to end a three-year drought without a victory on tour. Even casual golf fans and golf bettors are familiar with other participants such as Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. The field at Bay Hill is absolutely loaded once again for the PGA Tours new elevated events. Detroit Golf Club is a shorter par-72, measuring 7,370 yards and is one of the easiest courses on the circuit. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week It was during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am three weeks ago when the expectation surfaced that top 10s at Pebble wouldnt pay forward for entry into the WM Phoenix Open. 2 in the world, will regain the top spot after becoming the seventh player to repeat as champion of the WM Phoenix Open, an event he claimed last year for his first PGA Tour victory. The PGA Tour's 2021-22 season started way back in September but it kicks into high gear this week with the annual Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua's Plantation course.. 1. Access 4,300-plus hours of live coverage from 35 PGA Tour tournaments each year, including four days of coverage at 28 events with four feeds each day. Seamus Power: irl 2.579 . Your guess is as good as anyones about when Collin putts well, but when he does, hes generally always in the Top 5. It's difficult to believe that it has been 456 days since DJ last won a PGA Tour event -- the 2020 Masters that was played in November. They're the 25 who have played the best this season and have the best form right now. Previous rank: 9 Scoring will be the name of the game this week. That means a $10 bet returns $65 of profit if the red-hot Spaniard . Ranks 5th in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 8th in SG: OTT. Scottie Scheffler : The World No. Of the 23 Player Impact Program winners, the only not to commit is Tiger Woods. 17. That helped him make it onto the American Presidents Cup team where Burns played well despite a middling record. Scheffler will defend his title as The No. 13. 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. It's probably only a matter of time before Burns starts heating up again, after a relatively quiet start to 2023. Who's out: Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Just missed the cut: DeChambeau, Hatton, Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Harris English, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Matthew Wolff, PGA Tour Power Rankings: Time to make a change at the top, A battle for No. Gary Woodland : Woodlands irons have been on fire, so theres definitely some intrigue here after he finished 9th at Riviera and gained 9.7 strokes on approach. A year ago, Kim was preparing for the Royal's Cup in Thailand on the Asian Tour. With primary rough at least 3 inches high, distance and accuracy off the tee plays up all week. 4 @WMPhoenixOpen. He finished 5 over, which was third-worst among players who made the cut. It had chased a couple of grumbles on the Korn Ferry Tour just before that. Also recorded a T11 at Pebble Beach four weeks ago. What I value as much as anything with approaches this week is long iron play. Matthew Fitzpatrick : I like to add a few extra players sometimes for big tournaments, and Fitzpatrick is worth noting this week. Our experts have a couple of Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions that they like, but their best bet is on Will Zalatoris to win outright with +2200 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. Hes unsurprisingly 1st in High Winds, and some of his recent top finishes came when the going got very tough. He'll make his debut on tour this year at Riviera. Patrick Cantlay He is scheduled to play at Riviera. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will once again be looking to be World No. The PGA Tour had a golf tournament this past weekend, and Sungjae Im didn't participate. By signing up here for a new account right now, all new users can lock in their chance at $150 in bonus bets. By Friday, thatll be the sustained average for the prevailing push from the southwest, while gusts will reach 35 mph. Almost all the worlds top stars will be in attendance as this is one of the PGA Tours newly designated events. Hes a Louisianan, but he tends to play his best golf in the southeastern United States. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Rory McIlroy The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass has continued to grow in importance and popularity every year, and its safe to say you can throw it in as the unofficial fifth major of the season. 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. 23. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. Chris Kirk lifted his first trophy since 2015 as he completely a lovely comeback story after dealing with alcoholism and depression. Our experts have broken down the betting odds and are ready to deliver their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. The greens tend to not be too difficult to roll putts in on, especially for guys based in the Southeast U.S. used to Bermuda. The Australian took the week off after finishing in a tie for fourth at the Saudi International. Were now onto a multi-week jaunt through Florida starting with the Honda Classic. Ranks 4th in SG: APP and 7th in Proximity: 200+ Yards. The greens can run fast if conditions allow. 8. Hell bank 300 FedExCup points and $684,000 of a record prize fund of $3.8 million. He finished in a tie for third at 15-under. Did the former world No. Hes found success on the Australasian Tour, Asian Tour, DP World Tour, etc. Keegan Bradley : I always think of Bradley when I hear about potentially brutal conditions on a course. He was 3-under after 36 holes and trailed by 9 shots. 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. Tyrrell Hatton : With some solid form building and a trip back to Florida, Hatton has to be in good spirits going to Bay Hill. 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. Sam Burns 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. His strength is on approach and, given his roots, also confidence when the wind blows. Min Woo Lee is making his Honda Classic debut this week on a sponsor exemption. 1 once again. If you are looking to back our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions, be sure to do so at DraftKings Sportsbook. It's the third ace of his career. Sam Burns, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports. Still, the last two winners of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau make it clear that elite drivers win around here. Bermuda grass is in play as is the case throughout much of the Sunshine State. Unlike, PGA National last week, Bay Hill isnt a complete second-shot course. 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. Its all about finding the fairway however you can to avoid hazards around the green and avoid approaching from the long Bermuda rough. 7. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. The course measures 7,261 yards for a par 70. Daniel Berger The Australian took the week off after tying for 28th in last week's Saudi International. This is the fourth designated event of the season. Theres usually rain during at least some point in the event and water lurks around many corners. Brett White, who had to relearn how to walk and talk after battling a brain infection six years ago, made his PGA Tour debut. Choi had eight PGA Tour wins. Bradley, 36, is third in FedEx Cup points. After tying for 25th in back-to-back starts at the Tournament of Champions and Farmers Insurance Open, he was much better in Phoenix, finishing solo fourth at 13 under. There were plenty of changes in this week's edition of the PGA Tour Power Rankings, including a new No. All four Par 3s, all four Par 5s and a few Par 4s will likely require a long iron this week at Bay Hill. More ESPN+ content . 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. 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. He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented leaderboard. 1 for more than another dozen years to catch Woods' record total of 679 weeks ranked atop the Official World Golf Ranking. McIlroy (2018) is another former champion of the tournament. Weve seen high winds at Bay Hill in the past, and the course plays outrageously hard when thats the case. 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.