Arnold Palmer Invitational: PGA Tour Golf Odds and Predictions
This tournament usually draws a stacked field not just because many Tour pros live in Florida and in the Orlando area but because the players play in it to honour Arnold Palmer, without whom there likely would not be a PGA Tour (at least as we know it). “The King” died in September 2016, but it’s still important for many guys to play here for Arnie.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Background
Palmer owned and re-designed the course where this tournament is held, the par-72, 7,500-yard Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Whereas the winner of the Masters gets a green jacket, the winner here now receives a red cardigan sweater in memory of Palmer. Because this tournament is an invitational, the field is a bit smaller (maximum 120 players; no Monday qualifying) and offers bigger rewards to the winner – including a three-year PGA Tour exemption instead of two. In addition, three spots in the 2020 British Open are up for grabs to the leading players not already exempt who finish in the Top 10 and ties.
The event was founded in 1979 as a successor to the Florida Citrus Open, which Palmer won in 1971 at a different Orlando-area course. The course record at Bay Hill is a 62. Oddly, three hasn’t been a playoff in the tournament since 1999.
2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational Betting Favourites
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is the +550 favourite, and then there’s a huge drop-off to England’s Tommy Fleetwood at +1600. Rory won here in 2018 at 18-under 270. He was sixth last year and fourth in 2017. McIlroy took last week off. Fleetwood has two Top 10s at Bay Hill in three visits and comes off a third at the Honda Classic on Sunday.
Korea’s Sungjae Im won the Honda on Sunday for his first Tour victory and is +2800 this week. Guy never takes a week off. Im was third last year. While Americans have won here the vast majority of times, an international player has the past four years.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari is the defending champion and is +10000. He entered the final round at Bay Hill five shots off the lead but fired an 8-under 64, one shot shy of the tournament’s final-round record, to finish at 12-under 276 and two ahead of England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick.
In a major surprise, Tiger Woods has decided not to play this week – again. Palmer was one of his idols and Woods has won this tournament eight times. That’s tied for the most ever at one event as Woods also won the now-defunct WGC-Bridgestone Invitational eight times and San Snead did it at the Greater Greensboro Open. No one else has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational more than twice. Tiger, who used to live in the area, didn’t play last year due to a neck strain and says his back is stiff this time.
Canadian Golfer Odds
No Canadian has won this tournament. George Knudson was a co-runner-up with Palmer to Julius Boros in the 1967 Florida Citrus Open Invitational. Corey Conners is +10000 to win; he missed the cut last year and did so at the Honda too.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Predictions
Take McIlroy and Henrik Stenson for Top 10s, but the winner is Justin Rose at +4000. He did miss the cut at the Honda but sometimes a little extra rest helps, and Rose has been runner-up here once and third twice.