The PGA Tour season continues to ramp up this week as attention turns to Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, home of the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Part of the four-week Florida Swing which also includes next week's Players Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been staged at Bay Hill, a venue best known as the home of the King, since 1979.
This 7,466-yard par-72 layout is a typical Florida track with water everywhere and extensive bunkering. It is known as an exacting tee-to-green test, with three of the last five winners only reaching single-digits under par.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, favourite this week as he always is when he tees it up, reached 15 under when winning by five shots last season. He's bidding for a third Arnold Palmer title, having also won in 2022.
- LUDVIG ABERG TO WIN & EACH-WAY
- TOMMY FLEETWOOD TO WIN & EACH-WAY
- SHANE LOWRY TO WIN & EACH-WAY
More Success Could Be Coming For Aberg
Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominate the Arnold Palmer market, but that illustrious pair were upstaged at the Genesis Invitational by Swedish star Ludvig Aberg, and lightning could strike twice in Florida.
Aberg, fit and firing after a 2024 campaign in which a knee injury prevented him from being at his very best, began the year with a fifth-placed finish in the Sentry before illness derailed his bids at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
However, he roared back at the Genesis last time, producing a brilliant performance to claim a second PGA Tour title, and there will almost certainly be many more to come in his future.
Two previous Arnold Palmer Invitational appearances have not been without promise – he was 24th in 2023 and 25th last season – and he could thrive this time around with two years of course experience under his belt.
LUDVIG ABERG TO WIN & EACH-WAY
Fleetwood Set For Overdue US Win
Europeans have dominated the big events on the PGA Tour this season and have fared well at Bay Hill over the last decade, and this could be the week when Tommy Fleetwood finally gets over the line in the US.
The Englishman is one of the best ball-strikers in the circuit, currently leading the PGA Tour in strokes-gained approach, which should translate to success at this week's venue.
He has three top-10 finishes to his name at the home of the King and looked sharp last time out, finishing fifth at the Genesis.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD TO WIN & EACH-WAY
Lowry Should Enjoy Test Of Patience
Bay Hill provides a test of patience and course management, and that's a tick in the box for Shane Lowry, who finished 11th in last week's Cognizant Classic, which developed into more of a shootout than first anticipated.
Lowry is never going to be at his best in a low-scoring contest and will relish the tougher examination that the Arnold Palmer Invitational typically provides.
The Irishman, a runner-up behind McIlroy in Signature Event company at Pebble Beach last month, finished third in the tournament last year.
SHANE LOWRY TO WIN & EACH-WAY
