2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Because this is an invitational, the field is limited to 120 players. Thus, there is an opposite-field event on the PGA Tour as well this week, the Puerto Rico Open. A few Canadiens who didn’t qualify for the Arnold Palmer are there. The winner of this event receives a red cardigan sweater in memory of Arnold Palmer, a tradition that began with the 2017 tournament after Palmer’s death in 2016.
This has long been one of the more popular stops on Tour for the players simply as to pay their respects to the late Palmer. A lot of Tour pros live in the Orlando area, too. Bay Hill Club & Lodge is the host, a par 72 at 7,466 yards. The closing hole has provided some terrific theater because water is such a factor while hitting an approach to the par 4.
Suppose I need to say this until we get Tiger Woods definitive news: He has won this event a record eight times but is not ready to return to action yet. No one else has won it more than twice.
The winning score here can vary wildly depending on the wind. When Tyrrell Hatton was the fifth straight non-American winner in 2020, he finished at just 4-under 284. Last year, Bryson DeChambeau was at 11-under 277, beating out Lee Westwood by a shot. Those two dueled all day and DeChambeau sank a putt from about 6 feet on No. 18 to clinch. To no surprise, the big hitter led the field in average driving distance at 321.4 yards. The last repeat winner here was Matt Every in 2015. Those are Every’s only two PGA Tour wins. He’s not in the field this year.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Odds
World No. 1 Jon Rahm is the +800 favourite. We last saw him two weeks ago at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles and Rahm was T21. It will be Rahm’s first time playing this event. Rory McIlroy is +1200. He won here by three in 2018 at 18-under 270 and hasn’t been worse than T10 three trips since.
Scottie Scheffler is +1600 with Viktor Hovland, while defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and Hideki Matsuyama are each +2500. Scheffler has played the event once and was T15 in 2020. He won a couple of weeks ago in Phoenix.
Hovland hasn’t contended in three trips. DeChambeau has missed time this season due to injury and there was talk he was going to be the face of the new Saudi league, but he has since committed to the PGA Tour. He also has a runner-up here in 2018. Matsuyama’s best finish at the tournament was T6 in 2016.
On Sunday, Sepp Straka became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour in taking the Honda Classic in Florida. He birdied the 18th in a rainstorm to win by two and is +10000 this week. Straka has missed the cut in two tries at the Arnold Palmer.
No Canadian has won this event, which dates to 1966. George Knudson was a co-runner-up with Palmer behind Julius Boros in 1967. Corey Conners was the top Canadian finisher last year in third, three behind DeChambeau. Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin missed the cut. Conners is +6600 this week with Taylor +15000, Adam Svensson +20000 and Taylor Pendrith +25000.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Predictions
Take McIlroy and Sunjae Im for Top 10s, but the best value to win is England’s Matt Fitzpatrick at +2800. He has been T10, T9 and second his past three trips here.