2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Rory McIlroy is favoured on the golf odds.
Technically, the Florida Swing began last week in the Bradenton/Sarasota area with the WGC-Workday Championship, won by Collin Morikawa, but that was just a one-time Florida stop as the PGA Tour didn’t want to hold the event in Mexico per usual because of COVID. Golf fans love the start of the Florida Swing because it means spring and The Masters are both right around the corner.
Let’s start with who isn’t playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and that’s Tiger Woods. He wasn’t going to play regardless as he recovered from back surgery, but last week in Los Angeles was in a horrific car accident that may have ended his professional golf career due to serious leg injuries. Woods certainly will not be playing this season.
Tiger has won this tournament eight times, which ties a PGA Tour record for most wins at one event – Tiger also won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational eight times and Sam Snead captured the Greater Greensboro Open eight times. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is taking this week off.
Because this is an invitational, the field is limited to 123 players (no Monday qualifiers) and the purse is bigger. The winner also gets a red cardigan sweater in memory of Palmer.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is held at Bay Hill, a par 72 at around 7,450 yards that was redesigned several times over the years by the late Palmer, who lived most of his final years in the Orlando area. There is a world-renowned Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in the city.
International players have won this tournament five straight years. England’s Tyrell Hatton finished at 4-under 284 last year to edge Aussie Marc Leishman (the 2017 champion) by a shot. Conditions were very challenging as the winning score had been double-digit under par the previous eight years. Hatton was the first player in any PGA Tour event to win a tournament with two over-par rounds on the weekend (he shot 73-74 after 68-69 the first two rounds) since Geoff Ogilvy captured the 2002 U.S. Open.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Odds
McIlroy is +900 to win here for the second time. He did in 2018 at 18-under 270, three up on second-place Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy has been sixth and fifth in the two trips to Bay Hill since. He finished T6 on Sunday at the WGC-Workday.
DeChambeau (+1200) was our pick to win last week but was T22. He was fourth at this tournament last year. Viktor Hovland is also +1200 with Hatton at +1600, and Patrick Reed and Sungjae Im each +2000.
Hovland was 42nd last year in his tournament debut and a co-runner-up Sunday to Morikawa, who isn’t playing in Orlando. Reed was T9 on Sunday and 15th here a year ago. Im was 28th Sunday and has been third here each of the past two years.
No Canadian has won this event, which dates to 1966. George Knudson was a co-runner-up with Palmer behind Julius Boros in 1967. Nick Taylor was T56 last year at 11 over, while Corey Conners missed the cut following rounds of 73-75. Conners is +10000 this year with Adam Hadwin +12500 and Taylor +20000. Hadwin has a best result of sixth here.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Predictions
Take McIlroy and former champion Francesco Molinari for Top 10s, but the winner is Im. His lone PGA Tour victory was also in Florida at the Honda Classic last year.