2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Note that this is a Signature Event, which means a limited field and purse of $20 million (U.S.) with $4 million to the winner; there is an opposite-field event in Puerto Rico this week as well for those who didn’t qualify to play in Orlando. While not all Signature Events feature a cut, this will at 36 holes to the Top 50 and ties plus any player within 10 shots of the lead.
If Tiger Woods was healthy enough to play multiple events per month, he would absolutely be there as Woods revered the late Palmer and won here eight times (last in 2013), tying a record for most wins by any player at one tournament.
Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge again is the host, a par 72 at around 7,465 yards. It’s flat but there are many water challenges. Weather can certainly be factor in Florida this time of year, and it has taken double-digits under par to win here just once in the past four years.
I liked Ireland’s Shane Lowry to win last week at the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, but he finished T4. Lowry has not participated in any of the first three Signature Events of the 2024 season but will this week on a sponsor’s exemption. No surprise considering that Lowry is sponsored by Mastercard, which also is a main sponsor here. The Cognizant actually went to a Monday finish due to weather and Austin Eckroat got his first PGA Tour win to get into this field. He’s +9000.
Since a stretch from 2016-2020 where international players won the Arnold Palmer every year, it has been Americans the past three with Kurt Kitayama the defending champion. With five players tied for the lead with three holes left in the final round in 2023, Kitayama pulled ahead with a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet on the par-3 17th hole. He tapped in for par at No. 18 to finish at 9-under 279 and one up on Harris English and 2018 winner Rory McIlroy, who missed a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole for the lead.
It was Kitayama’s first PGA Tour win, and he hasn’t won since or come close. He was this tournament’s most unlikely winner probably since Matt Every in 2014 … and then Every won again in 2015. He was the last repeat champion with Kitayama at +6600 to follow this week. We cashed in this space last year because we didn’t chose an individual golfer but an American at -133.
This event will again act as a qualifying event for The British Open, with three spots available to those not already qualified.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Odds
Bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the +650 favourite and won here at 5-under 283 in 2022, one stroke up on three other players. He was fourth last year. Scheffler has played five Tour events this year and not finished worse than T17, although yet to win in 2024.
Rory McIlroy is +1000 with Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele each +1400. McIlroy comes off a T21 at the Cognizant, his tournament largely ruined by a third-round 72. He has not been worse than 13th here since 2017, including a win in 2018 and co-runner-up last year.
Cantlay played here for the first time in 2023 and was fourth. He was last T4 at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. Hovland was a runner-up in 2022 and 10th last year. Schauffele has not contended in two trips to Bay Hill. Jordan Spieth is +2000. He has played here twice and been fourth both times.
No Canadian has won this event, which dates to 1966. George Knudson was a co-runner-up in 1967. Corey Conners was the top finisher last year at T21, followed by Adam Svensson at T24 and Mackenzie Hughes T61. Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and Taylor Pendrith missed the cut. Conners is +6600 this week with Hadwin +8000, Taylor +10000, Svensson +12500 and Hughes +25000.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Predictions
Our winner is Cameron Young at +2800. He comes off a T4 at the Cognizant Classic and has been 10th and 13th in two trips to Bay Hill.