The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of the key stops on the Florida Swing as 12 of the world’s Top 25 players take to the tee on Friday with $9.3 million on the line.
Bay Hill, also known as Arnie’s Place, has been dominated by internationals over the last five years with names like Tyrell Hatton, Francesco Molinari, Rory McIlroy, Marc Leishman and Jason Day all taking home the prizemoney.
McIlroy is the only single-priced favourite in the market with Hatton, the defending champ, not far behind at $11.00.
With THE PLAYERS Championship a week away and the Masters right around the corner, this shapes up to be a key weekend for golf bettors trying to get an edge heading towards the majors.
Fortunately, we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you in our 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview below.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bet
Sungjae Im at $21.00
The Korean was a popular pick last week at The Concession after claiming his maiden PGA Tour win during last year’s Florida Swing at The Honda Classic.
Im opened with a brilliant first round 68 at the Workplay, only to slip to a T28 finish after shooting 72 on the final day.
Even so, the 22-year-old is no doubt on his way to another win as he continues to improve with his irons.
Approach is everything at Bay Hill, something Im knows perfectly well after finishing third at this event last year.
He also ranks 10th in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and 15th in accuracy off the tee, two key stats on what is arguably the toughest course on Tour.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Value
Will Zalatoris at $41.00
Zalatoris was one of my top value plays last week at The Concession and he is again well over the odds at the $41.00 quote.
After finishing T22, the American has now finished inside the Top 30 in four of his last five events – a stretch of form that should see him winning sometime soon.
As already mentioned, approach is paramount at this course, an area Zalatoris excels at.
The 24-year-old ranks 10th on Tour in the category and is only getting better week by week.
Marc Leishman at $41.00
Everything you need to know about Bay Hill is in the name.
Last year’s tournament saw players battle through head strong winds before Tyrell Hatton eventually prevailed by a single stroke over Marc Leishman.
As we already know, the Aussie is one of the most durable players on Tour. He handled the blustery conditions at Torrey Pines last year to win the Farmers, while he also conquered the Bay Hill beast in 2017 finishing -11 under.
His putting could no doubt use some work, but a T4 at the Sony Open and a T18 at this year’s Farmers suggests further improvement is coming.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Roughies
Kevin Kisner at $67.00
It’s been nearly two years since Kisner last tasted a win on the PGA Tour, but he does look a rough chance returning to Bay Hill for the seventh time.
Full disclosure, the veteran has missed the cut on three occasions, but he does have a T2 behind Leishman on the board back in 2017.
Alongside approach, accuracy is also key this weekend off the tee.
Kisner has found the fairway on 71% of his drives – good for fourth on Tour. Those kind of numbers should help him avoid the water more than others.
Byeong Hun An at $101.00
Sungjae Im isn’t the only Korean with previous success at Bay Hill.
Byeong Hun An is five-from-six in at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which includes a T10 two years ago behind the winner Francesco Molinari.
He often goes around at triple digits, which is somewhat surprising considering he finished T8 at The American Express back in January.
He’s mixed his results since but should be in the mix here with a strong enough short game to suit.