Golf: PGA Tour – Arnold Palmer Invitational
Venue: Bay Hill Golf Club, Florida
Dates: Thursday 2nd – Sunday 5th March 2023
Tournament Preview
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of the staple events on the PGA Tour, having first been introduced by Palmer himself back in 1966. It is one of only 5 invitational events on the tour, meaning it has a restricted field of only 120 players. Arnold Palmer won the event back in 1971 and other previous winners include Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods. The event has a prize pot of $20 million whilst the winner is in line to take home a healthy $3.6 million. With so many points to play for and plenty of dollars too, it should be an excellent week at Bay Hill.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
The field in Bay Hill is always strong and the usual smattering of big names will be keen to get their hands on the trophy come Sunday:
Spaniard Jon Rahm is currently the world’s undisputed number one golfer and how he would love to add another big title to his name in 2023 here at Bay Hill.
2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Rory McIlroy starts as one of the favourites here in Florida. He looked back to his best at times over the past few months and if he carries that form over, he could be tough to stop.
Current Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is a pillar of consistency on the PGA Tour, and he could be tough to stop if he gets up ahead of steam in favourable conditions this weekend.
American Max Homa has started to put runs of form together in the past 12 months and with a win on tour already in 2023, he should be considered from the outset here.
Young Norwegian Viktor Hovland has taken the PGA Tour by storm over the past couple of seasons and whilst he has no form to speak of, he could well be in the mix here in Florida.
1st Round Leader
The whole field here in Florida will believe they can get off to a strong start and if they do so they could set themselves up for the week ahead:
Australian Jason Day continues to churn out the performances on the PGA Tour and he always looks to get off to a flyer in the biggest events.
Billy Horschel has been a bit stop start this season, but past performances here should fill him with confidence, and he was in decent shape at the Honda Classic last weekend.
Top 10 Finish
With so many good players assembled here in Florida, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday:
2022 USPGA champion Justin Thomas remains in the top 10 in the world and despite not being in the best of form in recent weeks, he has enjoyed plenty of good performances over the past 12 months.
As a former runner up at this event, Justin Rose is sure to be in the mix at Bay Hill and with some form to speak of in 2023 – he looks superb value to finish in the top 10.
American Brian Harman continues to put in consistent performances every weekend on the PGA Tour and he should be very much in the mix in an open field at Bay Hill.
2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational betxchange.com Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Jon Rahm – 13/2
1st Round Leader: Jason Day – 33/1
Top Ten Finish: Brian Harman – 7/1
