Another long-established event is back and it’s named after one of the most enduring characters on the PGA Tour. The Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 returns to Bay Hill this week and it welcomes one of the stronger fields there has been on the circuit this year.
The World’s Number One is here and heading the outright markets but will Jon Rahm come through with an overdue conversion or will we see a long odds winner deliver from within the chasing pack? This preview should be able to unpick that conundrum, so read on for our predictions and final betting picks.
Jon Rahm has been busy on the whole in 2022 and, following a brief break, is back to contend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This is his sixth year on Tour but, somewhat surprisingly, this is Rahm’s first appearance in this event
A lack of course knowledge could count against him but the Spaniard comes to Bay Hill with some solid stats. Across the Tour this season, he ranks first in Greens in Regulation, Driving Distance and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.
Rahm is on offer at 8/1 in places while Rory McIlroy trails in as second favorite at best odds of 12/1. Rory is a former Arnold Palmer champion, having eased out Bryson DeChambeau by three strokes back in 2018. The Northern Irishman also has five straight top 10 finishes in his last five appearances so, while the form may not be there, this is clearly one of his preferred tournaments.
With defending champion Bryson DeChambeau having been forced to withdraw with a hand injury, Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland lead the chasing pack at 16/1. Hovland is one of the form golfers on show this week but, in three previous visits to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his best result is a tie for 40th. Scheffler returned his first Tour win last month and his one visit to this event resulted in a tie for 15th in 2020.
Moving through the field, Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris and Matthew Fitzpatrick can all be found at 25/1 in places. Matsuyama is a recent winner on Tour and has enjoyed a consistent 11 months since winning the US Masters last April. Fitzpatrick has started 2022 strongly and should be rested after beginning the New Year with two consecutive top ten finishes.
Other names to consider from this betting odds range with the USA sports wagering websites include Sungjae Im, Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott who are all on offer at 30/1 in places. Hatton enjoyed a breakthrough Tour win in this event back in 2020 and he should be one to watch again.
Another man who enjoys teeing up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is Marc Leishman. The Australian won here in 2017 and was a runner up to Hatton two years ago but he starts the outside pack at best industry odds of 35/1.
Paul Casey tied for tenth here last year and has started 2022 with some consistent, top 25 returns. Casey is quoted at 40/1 for the outright win while Max Homa, Keith Mitchell and Jason Kokrak can also be found at that figure in places.
There is depth to the outsiders and a number of these golfers will be looking for a solid four days. Among the players to watch this week are Sam Burns at 50/1, Billy Horschel at 55/1, Justin Rose at 60/1, Jason Day at 66/1, Cameron Tringale at 70/1, Luke List at 80/1 and Chris Kirk at 80/1.
All of those players will have chances to convert in the top 10 finish betting markets at the very least but what will it take to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2022? Now we come to the conclusion of this preview, with our betting predictions and picks.
2022 Arnold Palmer Course & Betting Trends with Tips Verdict
The Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida has been home to this tournament since 1974. It is a par 72 but is one of the longest courses on Tour, coming in at some 7,454 yards.
Distance off the tee can be crucial and it certainly helped Bryson DeChambeau to get over the line here 12 months ago. Scoring average at 73.015 in 2021 was an improvement on the returns from the previous year but this will continue to be one of the toughest challenges of the entire season.
DeChambeau led in overall driving distance last year but he also ranked highly in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, Greens in Regulation and Par 5 Scoring.
It will need a good, all-round set of stats to win here and the man we keep coming back to is Viktor Hovland. He has the qualities needed and, more importantly, he is in great touch with two wins since November. Hovland is the main betting pick for this preview while three other top 10 finish selections are listed below to hopefully attain a profit this week at Bay Hill.
- Viktor Hovland to win at +1600 with BetOnline and EveryGame.
- Top 10 Finish Arnold Palmer Invitational Betting Picks (odds from BetOnline in brackets): Hovland (+200), Paul Casey (+350), Sungjae Im (+320) and Sam Burns (+475).
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.