Itd be dumb to ignore him at a course that requires elite driving, and he gained 4.6 OTT here in a 13th last year. 1 for more than another dozen years to catch Woods' record total of 679 weeks ranked atop the Official World Golf Ranking. 1. Gary Woodland : Woodlands irons have been on fire, so theres definitely some intrigue here after he finished 9th at Riviera and gained 9.7 strokes on approach. Of course, he remains indefinitely beholden to when his extended recovery will allow him to play in accordance with a chosen schedule. Day climbed from No. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. Kim grabbed his fourth PGA Tour victory when he rallied from 3 shots back to catch Hayden Buckley and win the Sony Open in Hawaii. pic.twitter.com/gpqP1Q1WlN. He'll have a chance to get things right at Riviera, where he tied for second, 2 strokes behind Joaquin Niemann, last season. Has only one start at Bay Hill. In five starts, Burns has made a respectable four cuts, but last years T-9th (72-69-75-71) was his first top-10 at Bay Hill. The Australian took the week off after finishing in a tie for fourth at the Saudi International. A cozy field of 120 is chasing a winners cut of 550 FedExCup points and $3.6 million from a prize fund of $20 million. Maybe Bay Hill can sort him out, where he finished 2nd last year and struck it well in four starts. Sam Burns Much of Fitzpatrick's best work over the past few months has come in Europe, where he was second in the Italian Open and tied for fifth at the DP World Tour championship. Cantlay, who is ranked No. Returning participants will be greeted to a course that will be wholly familiar. Those only resulted in an 11th, 10th and 20th thanks to other areas failing him, but this is a course he has plenty of experience on and has finished 3rd in the past. 6. Kokrak won the Houston Open in November, his third victory in 13 months. Jon Rahm Previous rank: 12 He had six birdies in his first eight holes in the second round before picking up three bogeys on the second nine. Finally, the forecast for this week is predicting very high winds on Friday and Saturday along with consistent winds for the rest of the week. He has three top-10s in his past four starts at Riviera, where he has never won. 18. His ball-striking is elite and ranks . Bradley, 36, is third in FedEx Cup points. Nothing but sunshine and a few passing clouds will consume the sky. Won at Bay Hill in 2016 and has finished decently in all three tries since. He finished in a tie for third at 15-under. McIlroy (2018) is another former champion of the tournament. 1 for much of last season, when he won four times, including his first major championship (at the Masters). He was sixth on the DP World Tour last year in driving distance (322.07). 18. Ranks 2nd in SG: P and 16th in the model. He outlasted a couple of huge longshots in Eric Cole and Ryan Gerard, both of which would have been incredible stories on their own. "High praise from Michael Greller on @JordanSpieth's ridiculous shot on 17 @WMPhoenixOpen. Lee also was T-13th at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic where he finished ahead of names like Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard, Perez, Tyrrell Hatton, etc. There may not be a man in golf Id rather have standing over the ball in high winds. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. Thats enough of an intro. Both of his top 25s on the PGA TOUR have occurred in his transplanted hometown event, and both are top-15 finishes. Rahm still has the lead in the FedEx Cup points race. 15 and 17 annually are among the most challenging as a set on TOUR, a fact due to sustained breezes from a southeasterly direction. He hadn't missed the weekend since the 2021 Masters. He had made 13 straight cuts, which was the longest active streak on tour. 11. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. He finished T16. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week Im taking a small look at SG: Tee-to-Green in very high winds to get a grasp on who will be able to navigate Bay Hill in the worst of conditions this week. Well look at SG: Approach as well as Greens in Regulations Gained to get a grasp on the guys who will be avoiding trouble with their irons this week and making plenty of pars. Ranks 1st in SG: Par 5, 2nd in SG: APP and 2nd in the model. His career-low round, of course, was a 59 at the 2020 Northern Trust. Average-sized paspalum greens wont exceed 11 feet on the Stimpmeter because of the omnipresence of the sea breezes from the east. PGATOUR.coms Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images). Ranks 7th in SG: OTT and 7th in SG: APP. Jason Sobel Updated: May 18, 2022, 11:21 AM EDT Download App Click arrow to expand 2022 PGA Championship odds via BetMGM Bet the PGA Championship risk-free up to $1,000. Previous rank: 11 Billy Horschel Speaking of top-10s, the LSU alum has a pair of them already in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season at the CJ Cup (T-7th) and WM Phoenix Open (T-6th). Stream on ESPN+. He finished 10th in the Genesis Invitational last season, after claiming his second PGA Tour win in the event in 2021. He won here in 2020, finished 2nd last year, and added a 4th as a debutant in 2017. Might he get back on track at Riviera? Kevin Yu and Joseph Bramlett both finished T7 at Pebble and didnt get into the WM as predicted, but only Bramlett is committed to the Honda (as of Monday). Cantlay has six straight top-10s dating to his back-to-back victories in the FedEx Cup playoffs at the end of last season. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports. It also features world #2 Scottie Scheffler, world #3 Rory McIlroy and world #4 Patrick Cantlay. 2. This event has annually attracted strong fields since it began in 1966 and moved to current host course, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, in 1979. Ranks 1st in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 4th in the model. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only one other player in the past 20 seasons has put together a stretch like that: Tiger Woods. Dustin Johnson On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler reminded everyone in the sport who was ranked No. Previous rank: 22 One prize fight after another. So, the test still tips at 7,125 yards, the tallest of the overseeded rough might not reach three inches and the TifEagle bermuda greens will run 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. He was playing incredibly consistent golf before that, and his history at Arnold Palmer is very strong with a pair of 3rd place finishes and nothing worse than 21st in 4 tries. He has five top-25 finishes in seven tour starts this season, including a tie for third at the Shriners Children's Open and QBE Shootout, an unofficial event. He led the field in shots gained: approach this past weekend, the first time he has accomplished that since the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline. . It's the first time the tour has had three consecutive first-time winners since 2019. 2023 Honda Classic predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings Expected high winds and firm conditions this week will also open things up a bit to accurate drivers. 7. You could certainly argue that over the past few weeks, Spain's Jon Rahm was performing like the best player in the world. I feel like I'm way better than that and I've been working harder to try to do that.". The tee-to-green play was still there, and now the World No. He finished fifth in the Genesis Invitational last season. Rahm will surely be targeted by plenty of golf pundits in their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. The four Par 5s are the real scoring opportunities at Bay Hill. In what appears to be the most star-studded event hosted at Riviera Country Club since the 1995 PGA Championship, only world No. Ranks 3rd in SG: Par 5 and 7th in the model. Scottie Scheffler There are designated events, and then there is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Proud of how I fought around the golf course.". He was 3-under after 36 holes and trailed by 9 shots. Poston, Thomas Detry, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider. 5. Scroll to the bottom to find odds comparisons for every golfer in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rory McIlroy is not human. HOLE-IN-ONE for @RickieFowler from 216 yards! PGA Championship 2022 Power Rankings: Top-50 Players This Week at Southern Hills Golf Credit: Getty Images. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, odds, Fantasy golf power rankings: PGA Tour predictions and best bets from top golf expert Jim Holliman, who has been rolling with his golf picks this season, offers his PGA Tour golf best bets and top players for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Since tying for second at the Shriners Children's Open in early October, he tied for 16th at the Tournament of Champions, tied for 26th at the American Express and missed the cut in Phoenix, where he lost in a playoff to Scheffler last season. Ranks 10th in the model and 11th in SG: APP. 13. He had one of the better fall swings of anyone on tour. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. In five starts, Burns has made a respectable four cuts, but last year's T-9th (72-69-75-71) was his first top-10 at Bay Hill. 10. "I mean, I hate them," Hahn said during a phone interview with Golfweek that interrupted his gym workout. He also took T-21st at last years Open Championship. He hit the ball well last year, gaining nearly 2 strokes per round tee-to-green on the field, but his putting was dreadful, which is why he finished in a tie for 43rd. Xander Schauffele : Schauffele has been a bit lost since he tied the lead in Phoenix on Saturday, as he dropped to 10th there on Sunday and had a strange week at Riviera. This will be even more pronounced in tomorrow's slate, with winds looking to be brutal as the day progresses. Previous rank: 20 He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented . SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. The through line is hitting greens in regulation no matter how that equation is written for the individual. Few players have performed better at the TPC Scottsdale than Matsuyama, who had victories there in 2016 and 2017. Sahith Theegala Sundays finale easily will be the best round in the context of scoring conditions, but Bay Hills bite might strengthen even more than usual as the wind will rotate and howl in from the north. Rory McIlroy In years past, I may have skewed driving stats toward Driving Distance on the week, but Ill simply be using SG: Off the Tee. Ranks 3rd in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 5th in the model. Sam Burns, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports. Ranks 22nd in High Winds. But he missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open after hitting consecutive shots into the water on No. Of the 23 Player Impact Program winners, the only not to commit is Tiger Woods. pic.twitter.com/djDjZuFQFy, 321 yards 13 feet@MaxHoma23 with one of the best drives of the week on 17 @WMPhoenixOpen. It guarantees that someone else will be holding the trophy. He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented leaderboard. The North Dakota native is on a remarkable run. Follow your favorite players throughout the 2023 season. Justin Thomas : Was gaining momentum going into Riviera after a huge final round in Phoenix vaulted him to 4th, but he lost all of that with one of his worst iron performances. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. Previous rank: 3 The field gets a primer on Thursday when gusts might touch 20 mph. Shortest in odds and claiming top honor is Sungjae Im. Morikawa showed a lot of backbone by finishing third at the Farmers Insurance Open, his first start after blowing a 6-shot lead in the final round of the Tournament of Champions. Beau Hossler getting the "royal treatment" at the 2022 @WMPhoenixOpen pic.twitter.com/WCcbmi60xU, Before the sun was even up, fans made a mad dash to get a good spot at the 16th Hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday. But this trip to Florida will be an interesting challenge for him, as just two of his 22 Top 10s have come here. PGA Championship Player Power Rankings: In-form players at Kiawah All you have to do is place a bet of at least $5 bet on any pre-game money line, and you wont even need a DraftKings promo code. The cash and the stakes arent as high as they were in recent weeks in Scottsdale and Los Angeles, but the Honda Classic is still a worthwhile watch. Pro golf will be back to California this summer for the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, but the PGA Tours West Coast swing is in the books. Rory McIlroy : Lets not overreact to a very cold putter from McIlroy in mediocre results at Phoenix and Riviera. Rickie Fowler. Bay Hill gives players more approaches from 200 or more yards than any other course on Tour. Cameron Smith TifEagle bermuda greens are larger than average in size (and not overseeded), but theyre equipped to flirt with and exceed 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. Only 10 players broke par for 72 holes. Previous rank: Not ranked The Florida swing on the PGA Tour begins this week at the 2023 Honda Classic as players aim to kickstart their seasons in the Sunshine State. He'll make his debut on tour this year at Riviera. If you are looking to back our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions, be sure to do so at DraftKings Sportsbook. The short game has been way off, but the ball striking continues to be there. 12. The PGA Tour heads north to central Florida to visit Orlando and continue the Florida Swing at one of the most well-known events of the season. Finished 5th here last year. Rose likes his new equipment, caddie and coach and is comfortable with the team around him again. The defending Genesis Invitational champ is starting to find his form. Unlike last week, none of the top-10 golfers in the world are in attendance this week; only 12 of the top-50 in the world are making their way to PGA National for The Honda Classic. The driver and putter are putting in elite work, while the irons have shown enough life at times to get him near the top of the leaderboard. The Los Angeles native hasn't finished better than 26th in two starts at the Genesis Invitational. He had a 1-shot lead at the Sandersons Farms Championship in October and tied for eighth. There were plenty of changes in this week's edition of the PGA Tour Power Rankings, including a new No. Like most Florida courses, its often windy. By Friday, thatll be the sustained average for the prevailing push from the southwest, while gusts will reach 35 mph. 8. pic.twitter.com/U4xDqJhNHs.