Golf betting tips: Preview and tips for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is played each March at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge golf resort in Orlando, Florida. The event was founded in 1979 and has played under the Palmer name since 2007.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of only five tournaments given “invitational” status by the PGA Tour and consequently it has a reduced field of only 120 players. As a restricted field event only the first 70 players on the previous year’s money-list are guaranteed invitations.

Course Overview

Bay Hill opened for play in 1961 and was designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee. Arnold Palmer redesigned the course in 2009. From its tips the Par 72 layout can stretch to 7,419 yards.

The event has been dominated by Tiger Woods who won four years in a row from 2000 to 2003. He also won the 2008, 2009, 2012 and again in 2013 for his eighth victory in the tournament.

Total Driving around Bay Hill is important. The course demands length off the tee and with challenging rough, wayward drives will be penalized. The greens continually rank among the most difficult to hit in regulation leaning Bay Hill towards the ‘second shot golf course’ category.

Bay Hill is not a course that can be overpowered and every aspect of a player’s game is tested to the full. Experience is vital and key for good course management. Scoring on the Par 5’s is important and like previous weeks, an ability to manoeuvre the ball in blustery conditions is essential.

2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Bryson DeChambeau

Last year, Bryson DeChambeau prevailed in an enthralling final round battle with Lee Westwood to win the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished one stroke ahead of the Englishman to make it win number eight on Tour.

Tee-to-green is where the foundation was set for the victory. DeChambeau finished 1^st for both Strokes Off-The-Tee and Driving Distance. In the final two rounds, “The Scientist” hit two drives of 370+ yards on the Par 5 6^th. Almost half of his overall strokes gained for the tournament came from the tee (7.042 strokes). Other stats for the week include T42 for Driving Accuracy, 2^nd Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green, T3 in GIR and 21^st in Strokes Gained Putting.

2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Tyrrell Hatton

The 2020 edition of the tournament saw Tyrrell Hatton capture his maiden PGA Tour title with a one stroke victory at Bay Hill. The 28 year old Englishman shot a final round +2 (74) for a -4 (284) total. He was one of only four players to break par for the week. The swirling winds and challenging conditions meant Hatton’s score was  the highest to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational since it began in 1979.

Hatton had a stellar week tee-to-green finishing 5^th in the Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green category. In particular his iron-play on approach was key, finishing 2^nd in the Strokes gained Approach-The-Green. This equated to over 53% of his overall gain or a gain of 7.268 strokes. Other stats for the week include T33 for Driving Accuracy, 45^th for Driving Distance, T9 for GIR and 15^th for Strokes Gained Putting.

2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Francesco Molinari

Francesco Molinari captured the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational for his third PGA Tour victory. The Italian started the final round five shots behind, but his bogey free -8 (64) in the final round put him at -12 (276) for the week, two shots clear of Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Molinari’s strokes gained on the field average were split almost 50:50 between tee-to-green and putting. In particular his play from the tee was on point finishing top of the pile in the SG:Off-The-Tee category. This translated to a gain of 5.071 strokes for the week. Other stats include T3 for Driving Accuracy, 36th for Driving Distance, T6 for GIR and 4th in Strokes Gained Putting

2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Rory McIlroy

In 2018, Rory McIlroy captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational title finishing the week -18 (270). Surprisingly, it was a red hot putter that helped deliver the spoils for the Northern Irishman. He finished 1st in Strokes Gained Putting gaining over 10 strokes on the field average for the week.

McIlroy closed out the tournament with five birdies over his last six holes for a final round -8 (64) giving him a three shot victory. He finished the week T48 for Driving Accuracy, 1st for Driving Distance, T45 for GIR and 2nd in Putts per GIR.

2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Marc Leishman

In 2017, Marc Leishman holed a 50 foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to take the lead in the final round. He closed with two pars to finish on a score of -11 (277) to edge out Kevin Kisner and Charley Hoffman.

The Australian won on the strength of his approach play and putting. For the tournament he gained just over 13 strokes on the field average from his SG:Approach-The-Green and SG:Putting stats. He finished the week T17 for Driving Accuracy, T26 for Driving Distance, T1 for GIR and 2nd in Strokes Gained Putting.

2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational | Jason Day

The 2016 champion, Jason Day, was a wire-to-wire winner of the tournament. After the final round he had this to say;

For the week, Day’s putting contributed 37 percent of his total gain on the field average, with his short game shots contributing another 30 percent.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Tips

Max Homa 16/1 (E/W) – this will be his fourth look at Bay Hill with his last three results there reading T24-T10-T17. From seven starts this season he has already bagged two wins at the Fortinet Championship and Farmers Insurance Open. He also finished runner-up in his last outing at the Genesis Invitational. No surprise that his stellar play translates to his stats. The 32-year-old places 2^nd in this week’s Stats Analysis, he is also 15^th on Tour for Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green and 5^th for Scoring Average. Among the elite in the field, his Current Form is too hard to dismiss. Ticks a lot of boxes and some to make it win number 3 this season at Arnie’s Place.

Shane Lowry 50/1 (E/W) – sticking with the Irishman again this week. Bay Hill has not been kind to the 35-year-old, missing the cut in each of his last four visits. However, its his Current Form that puts him firmly on this week’s radar. Followed a T14 at the Genesis Invitational with a T5 in last week’s Honda Classic. His statistics this season are mediocre at best but belie somewhat his recent performances. Around PGA National he was 1^st in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green and if he brings last week’s ball-striking to Orlando then he could make some noise. A noted short-game specialist, he now has a good blend of experience and confidence to make it win number 3 on Tour. Good each way value.