Rory McIlroy 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. It ranks as one of the tougher courses on the PGA Tour annually and in the event of high winds and dry conditions like we saw in 2020, it can play as the toughest course of the season. PGA TOUR Rob Bolton's fantasy golf preview for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational ROB BOLTON'S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com's Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives.. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. 22. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. That means a $10 bet returns $65 of profit if the red-hot Spaniard . Kim backed that win up with consecutive top-25 finishes at the American Express, Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open. 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. 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. 19. Ultimately, his top-10 exemption wasnt necessary, anyway, as the entire. Impressive stuff. He has five top-25 finishes in seven tour starts this season, including a tie for third at the Shriners Children's Open and QBE Shootout, an unofficial event. Ultimately, his top-10 exemption wasnt necessary, anyway, as the entire Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category looped in on merit, so even its reorder at the conclusion of the West Coast Swing had no impact. He hit the ball well last year, gaining nearly 2 strokes per round tee-to-green on the field, but his putting was dreadful, which is why he finished in a tie for 43rd. Our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions are focused on Will Zalatoris, who is also among the top choices at +2200. The field gets a primer on Thursday when gusts might touch 20 mph. 4. 17. When it does, it could make a difference of 10-15 degrees cooler. 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. Previous rank: 20 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. FREE Picks Contest For the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Win An Amazon Gift Card Instantly! Perks for the winner, a brief breakdown of Grand Reserve Golf Club and more can be found below. 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. Things are about to get good on the PGA Tour. He lost in a playoff to Homa and finished second in the 2021 Genesis Invitational. 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. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Kim, from South Korea, is tough to beat when his putter gets hot. The positive is that Thomas rarely chains together poor ball striking, and he did putt well at Genesis. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will once again be looking to be World No. He's coming. Normally, the winning score is in the low to mid-teens with anything in double digits a great week. Dustin Johnson 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. Rahm still has the lead in the FedEx Cup points race. 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. 1 once again. Im taking a small look at SG: Tee-to-Green in very high winds to get a grasp on who will be able to navigate Bay Hill in the worst of conditions this week. The Australian is still searching for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, but there are plenty signs of hope. The 15th edition of the Puerto Rico Open is slated to be contested concurrently with the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard for the second straight year. "These are the days that we were dreaming about." 7 in the world last week, JT said, "I tried to stop looking because, yeah, it pisses me off, too. 23. 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. But this trip to Florida will be an interesting challenge for him, as just two of his 22 Top 10s have come here. 1 player catch lightning in a bottle at Pebble Beach, where he picked up his first PGA Tour victory in four years, or was it the start of a real resurgence? 5. He was 3-under after 36 holes and trailed by 9 shots. 12. 25. TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), SUNDAY: Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. He had made 13 straight cuts, which was the longest active streak on tour. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week He hadn't missed the weekend since the 2021 Masters. In his first start at the Genesis last year, he tied for 15th at 4-under, 8 strokes behind winner Max Homa. Here are the latest PGA Tour Power Rankings heading into this week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, where you-know-who (Tiger Woods!) The Los Angeles native hasn't finished better than 26th in two starts at the Genesis Invitational. 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. They turned out to be foreshocks for four months of brilliant form that yielded a return to fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR. 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. 21. 14. 4 @WMPhoenixOpen. 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 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. 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. He was 120th in shots gained: approach going into the WM Phoenix Open. 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. He had one of the better fall swings of anyone on tour. Poston, Thomas Detry, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider. HV3 is probably still celebrating his big victory in Saudi Arabia, even after missing the cut in Phoenix. 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. 1, Tiger to play in next week's Genesis Invitational, Author of seven books on college football. 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. So, course management and accepting par as a great score at times will be key. After a weekend of beer showers, aces and shirtless celebrations at the biggest party of the season at the WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour returns to normalcy with this week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Might he get back on track at Riviera? The Honda Classic leads off a month of competitions in the Sunshine State. Average-sized paspalum greens wont exceed 11 feet on the Stimpmeter because of the omnipresence of the sea breezes from the east. Yeah, you might want to move those next year. Shortest in odds and claiming top honor is Sungjae Im. When he competed here last year, it was via Past Champion status and he was 1,030th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Bradley, 36, is third in FedEx Cup points. Well see if history repeats itself again, and Scottie is clearly locked in. Greenside seats, you've been warned. A year ago, PGA National averaged 71.341, and thats pretty much where everyone expected it to land. Plus, access replays, originals and more. 6. Like Deion Sanders, Rickie Fowler is coming. Previous rank: 3 7. 1. He has 10 top-10s in 14 starts there, including a victory in 2020. 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. Any tournament can be won with elite iron play, but with higher scores and the importance on driving it well here, you can get away with just a decent week with the irons. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem. He's as hot as they come entering the Honda Classic, having won in Abu Dhabi a month ago (for a European Tour event) then finishing as the runner-up in Phoenix earlier this month. All you have to do is place a bet of at least $5 bet on any pre-game money line, and you wont even need a DraftKings promo code. pic.twitter.com/gpqP1Q1WlN. Competed once before at Grand Reserve, finishing T52 in 2020 via a sponsor exemption. He ranks in the top 15 on tour in strokes gained: total, tee to green and approach. The PGA TOUR heads to Detroit this week for the fourth edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. 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. PGA Tour golf rankings at CBSSports.com include the world golf rankings, FedEx Cup points, and money list. Tom Kim : Going through his first mini-slump here since getting his PGA Tour card, but theres not too much to be concerned about. This will be even more pronounced in tomorrow's slate, with winds looking to be brutal as the day progresses. Previous rank: 15 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. He also took T-21st at last years Open Championship. Ranks 1st in SG: Par 5, 2nd in SG: APP and 2nd in the model. 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. Both made their way into the PGA Tour Power Rankings, which had quite a few adjustments from a week ago. Its clear the Englishman loves the firm conditions and high winds that are often present in Orlando. Cantlay, who is ranked No. 9. Daytime highs could hit 90 degrees until the wind shifts. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports. Sam Burns, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports. He finished 5 over, which was third-worst among players who made the cut. According to Justin Ray of Twenty First Group, that's the best of any tour player during that span. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. It's officially a designated event in 2023, but you don't need to conceive a visual of the King himself winking, grinning and giving a thumbs-up to approve what we already know, that this. Morikawa missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, his first missed weekend since the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July. 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. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images). With primary rough at least 3 inches high, distance and accuracy off the tee plays up all week. He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented leaderboard. When looking at players who can perform at difficult courses, Zalatoris name has to be in the conversation. Returning participants will be greeted to a course that will be wholly familiar. Rahm will surely be targeted by plenty of golf pundits in their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Choi had eight PGA Tour wins. Ranks 2nd in GIRs Gained and 4th in Proximity: 200+ Yards. Few players have performed better at the TPC Scottsdale than Matsuyama, who had victories there in 2016 and 2017. 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. He was sixth on the DP World Tour last year in driving distance (322.07). 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. In five starts, Burns has made a respectable four cuts, but last years T-9th (72-69-75-71) was his first top-10 at Bay Hill. Schauffele called on his former Long Beach State teammate, Kevin "Tech" Techakanokboon, to carry his bag this weekend. Joe Nicely's under-the-radar DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. 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. The good news is that the worst of the wind in early forecasting is moderate and kicking up only on Thursday and Sunday. NHL trade grades: Latest deals There may be few players happier that the PGA Tour is onto the Florida swing than Sam Burns. The strongest that the invisible force will get is approximately 20 mph, but the positive spin, as it were, is that itll be consistent throughout the tournament. Rahm would have to be ranked No. Detroit Golf Club is a shorter par-72, measuring 7,370 yards and is one of the easiest courses on the circuit. Just a friendly reminder that these aren't necessarily the 25 most talented players in . Previous rank: 9 *: 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. Corey Conners : Conners will be happy hes off the West Coast considering his usual struggles there. He tied for 45th at the Saudi International. The former Wake Forest University star has gained strokes on the greens in all four of his starts in 2023, which is an encouraging trend for a player who had previously struggled with that part of his game. Previous rank: 16 Wind is often a factor at this event and seven water hazards eat up a lot of wayward shots. The Arnold Palmer Invitational field is absolutely loaded, led by world #1 Jon Rahm. 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. He carded a 7-under 64 in the third round of the WM Phoenix Open, his 15th such round of 64 or better since 2021. It is time for the first opportunity event of the season. The course is infamous for the Bear Trap closing stretch of holes 16-18 where thousands of wayward shots have gone to a watery grave in past years. Sam Burns With primary rough at least 3 inches high, distance and accuracy off the tee plays up all week. It was his ninth consecutive top-10 finish worldwide; he was in the top five in seven of his past nine events. * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. He has made only two starts on tour this year, finishing 38th in the Tournament of Champions and tied for 17th in the Sony Open. Tyrrell Hatton : With some solid form building and a trip back to Florida, Hatton has to be in good spirits going to 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. The qualifications for this exclusive event are pretty simple: win a tournament during the 2021 calendar year, stretching across two seasons (January to December). Still, the last two winners of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau make it clear that elite drivers win around here. What I value as much as anything with approaches this week is long iron play. After winning for the first time in four years at the Zozo Championship in October, he has piled up three other top-25s at the CJ Cup at South Carolina, Farmers Insurance Open (runner-up) and Phoenix Open. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. The question will be if the putter does enough to win. Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama will be among the notables considered in Golfbet Insider. Hell bank 300 FedExCup points and $684,000 of a record prize fund of $3.8 million. The Irishman has it going again with a 14th Riviera and 5th at Honda with more excellent ball striking. He'll make his debut on tour this year at Riviera. He took T-2nd at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship where he was just a shot behind Victor Perez. He finished in a tie for third at 15-under. Harry Hall Until he showcases his talent outside of Las Vegas, hell remain typecast as a no-brainer to give it a proper run at the Shriners. MJ Daffue The first-time PGA TOUR member finally connected for his first top 25 of the season at The Honda Classic. Justin Thomas Jon Rahm is a +650 favorite to triumph at Bay Hill. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. Justin Thomas is one to watch this week at the PGA Championship. Follow your favorite players throughout the 2023 season. Too bad we didn't get to see Rickie Fowler in action this past week at the Northern Trust Open. Kokrak won the Houston Open in November, his third victory in 13 months. 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. Thats where 2022 PRO champion Ryan Brehm is competing this week. He's 13th strokes gained: total and has putted well this season. He also led the Phoenix field in strokes gained: tee to green and scrambling. 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. Bay Hill plays as a 7,400-yard par 72 featuring Bermuda greens and much thicker rough than weve seen all year and usually see around Florida. 1 coming out of the tournament. Hes unsurprisingly 1st in High Winds, and some of his recent top finishes came when the going got very tough. 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. by Mastercard Rd 2 - Suspended ESPN+ ESPN Search. Maybe Bay Hill can sort him out, where he finished 2nd last year and struck it well in four starts. Previous rank: 5 Billy Horschel The challenge for him will be a poor history so far in high winds. He missed the cut in his previous two starts at the Genesis Invitational in 2019 and 2020. 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. Predicting 2023 NFL starting QBs 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. 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. You can bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational at DraftKings Sportsbook. Scheffler had a round of 9-under 62 in the second round in Phoenix, which was his fifth career round of 62 or lower. 17. Make no mistake, however, par still remains a terrific score on the course. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. 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. This is the fourth designated event of the season. . After opening with a 70 in Phoenix, he caught fire over the final 54 holes to tie for sixth. NOTE: ShotLink is not utilized for this tournament. Itd be dumb to ignore him at a course that requires elite driving, and he gained 4.6 OTT here in a 13th last year. He won here in 2020, finished 2nd last year, and added a 4th as a debutant in 2017. Get exclusive access to more than 3,000 premium articles a year from top writers. He tied for fifth at 7-under at Riviera last year. Click here to join DraftKings for a chance to win a $150 bonus on a $5 bet. He joins Luke List (Farmers Insurance Open) and Tom Hoge (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) as new champions. When asked about being ranked No. 18. These Bermuda greens are fast and pure, and the winner here tends to have a really strong week with the flat stick. He finished T16. Sungjae Im : Im not going to make the mistake of dismissing Sungjae this week because of a couple of mediocre results at Honda and Riviera. His career victory total is second among South Korean golfers; K.J. The 24-year-old has two-career DP World Tour wins at the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open and the 2021 abrdn Scottish Open. That means a $10 bet returns $65 of profit if the red-hot Spaniard does in fact win the tournament. Ranks 2nd in SG: P and 16th in the model. Its fun to watch the games best have to struggle to make par and be tested on a tough layout. 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. Szokol opens with 64, up 3 shots in Singapore, More PGA Tour changes: No cuts, smaller fields, Rahm sought Tiger's advice on staying No. Now, he has already won twice on the PGA Tour and is one of the more popular players.