The Arnold Palmer Invitational is the main attraction on the PGA Tour this week. The event, hosted at the Bay Hill Country Club, is one of the most iconic events on Tour. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 US PGA Tour
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando
7-10 March
Austin Eckroat won his maiden PGA Tour title in style last week, seeing off spirted charges from Min Woo Lee and Erik van Rooyen in the first Monday finish since Pebble Beach last year. Those were some of the heaviest rains I have seen in some time and it’s something of a miracle that they managed to finish at all.
As a result, Eckroat, Lee and van Rooyen have played their way into this week’s extremely prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Arnold Palmer Invitational
The next stop on the Florida Swing, the Arnold Palmer Invitational has always been one of the most iconic non-Majors in all of golf. That is largely because its namesake is arguably still the most beloved figure in the history of American golf.
The King- as he was affectionately known- was one of the key figures in making golf what it is today and this event- in its current form- was his brainchild.
Formerly known as the Florida Citrus Open, Arnold Palmer raised the status of this event when he won it back in 1971. He took over hosting duties in 1979 and moved the event to its current home: Bay Hill Country Club. It was actually called the Bay Hill Invitational for some time but now it is well established as the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Tiger Woods has won this event a record eight times but he will not be in action this week after withdrawing at his own Genesis Invitational. The winner of this event gets a pretty nifty little tartan jacket (the seconnd-coolest sartorial item in all of golf).
This beloved tournament has actually been elevated to designated event status this year. In fact, it will be one of the so-called legacy-designated events (alongside the Genesis and the Memorial).
It is a limited-field event that will feature a cut at the halfway point. The top 50 and ties will play the weekend (plus any player within ten strokes of the lead). But let’s now take a look at one of the most iconic layouts in US golf: Bay Hill.
Bay Hill Club
Bay Hill was designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee in 1960. But Palmer bought the event in 1976 with direct intentions of turning it into this dream tournament.
As such, Bay Hill has changed over the years as Palmer couldn’t resist tinkering with his baby (this event has been played as both a par 70 and par 72 through the years). This is a real stern, classical test of shot-making and shot-shaping (little wonder Tiger flourished here).
Recent winners like DeChambeau and McIlroy suggest that distance off the tee is essential. This was highlighted by DeChambeau’s herculean feats at the 6th in 2021 (I wonder what the King would have made of that).
But then you have the metronomic Molinari winning in 2018 to counterbalance that. The real key to success here is approach play. These vast TifEagle Bermuda greens are extremely tough to navigate. They are sometimes prepared at a lighting-fast 13.5 on the stimp and feature tricky runoff areas that resemble those at Augusta.
Players will need strong iron play (six of the last seven winners have finished inside the top ten for GIR). Links specialists also tend to thrive around this layout (which is especially true when the winds gets up).
The Contenders
Former champion and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is a very compelling favourite this week. Rory McIlroy is yet to pick up a top ten finish on this year’s PGA Tour after another disappointing outing at PGA National. What is going on with Rory? Perhaps the 2018 champion can turn it all around at Arnie’s event?
Xander Schauffele has been typically consistent this year while reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland has struggled to reproduce the form that saw him surge towards the end of last season. Patrick Cantlay has flirted with contention in recent weeks while the likes of Jordan Spieth and Max Homa also stand out in the pack.
It will be interesting to see how Matsuyama gets on after his barnstorming finish at Riviera a fortnight back.
Past Winners
2023: Kurt Kitayama (-9)
2022: Scottie Scheffler (-5)
2021: Bryson DeChambeau (-11)
2020: Tyrell Hatton (-4)
2019: Francesco Molinari (-12)
2018: Rory McIlroy (-18)
To Win Outright:
Scottie Scheffler 13/2 | Rory McIlroy 17/2 | Xander Schauffele 12/1 | Viktor Hovland 12/1 | Patrick Cantlay 14/1
Value Bets
Matt Fitzpatrick- To Win 33/1 | To Place 7/1
2022 US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick has had some struggles this year and is yet to collect a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour. But the Englishman has an elite tee-to-green game that could fire at any given moment. He can also be deadly accurate with his irons (which is obviously critical at Bay Hill). More importantly, Fitzpatrick has a fantastic record around here, picking up four top ten finishes and six top 25s in nine starts. He is a former US Open champ who clearly loves more exacting setups.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout- To Win 90/1 | To Place 19/1
Could South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout emulate Erik Van Rooyen’s performance last week and make a tilt at the tartan jacket? He missed the cut last week in rather calamitous fashion, playing the last seven holes in 5-over-par to miss the cut by one stroke. But it betrays just how well the South African has been playing recently. He has four top 30 finishes already this season, highlighted by a runner-up showing at the American Express. He is a brilliant iron player who should find this course to his liking. He could be one to favour in the place markets.
The Man to Beat- Jordan Spieth- To Win 20/1 | To Place 44/10
Jordan Spieth will be back in action this week after his shock disqualification at Riviera (he signed an incorrect scorecard). Spieth decided to take a few weeks away from the game and he will be determined to right some wrongs this week. The Texan already has a pair of top-six finishes this season and he returns to a course which should suit his shot-making skills to the bone. He trailed by two shots after 54 holes on debut in 2021 (he ultimately settled for a T4 finish). Last year he posted three rounds in the red and once again finished in a tie for 4th. A sense of righteous indignation could propel him to victory this week.
