Following Joe Highsmith's extraordinary comeback victory at the Cognizant Classic, the PGA Tour quickly rolls on to the next stop at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The second chapter in this year's Florida Swing is also a PGA Tour Signature Event which boasts a $20 million total prize purse and a $4 million prize for the winner. The 70-player field will jostle for position as - although it is a Signature Event - this one does contain a 36-hole cut for the top-50 golfers plus anyone within 10 strokes of the lead.
Scottie Scheffler reigned supreme for the second time in three years 12 months ago, and he is looking to make it title number three here as he continues his return from a nasty hand injury sustained while making ravioli over the Christmas holidays.
History suggests it will be a close affair come Sunday, with 13 of the past 25 runnings being decided by just one stroke. Although, there has not been a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since 1999.
Below are all of the title odds for many of the leading players while two of the Golf Monthly news team have also made favorite and outsider selections for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge is one of the most famous stops on the PGA Tour and plays host to a much-anticipated tournament every year for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, the golf course is tough. Playing as a 7,466 yard par-72 this year, Bay Hill features many of the characteristics of a Floridian layout but with the difficulty level increased. Many of the greens are slightly raised - which not only makes them tougher to hit but also helps with drainage - while water, large bunkers and thick lush rough is all around.
Secondly, and ironically due to many of the reasons previously outlined, Bay Hill is a beautiful piece of land with a vast number of eye-catching holes throughout - none more so than the closing duo of the par-3 17th and the nerve-shredding par-4 18th, both of which nestle up to the water's edge.
The 27 total holes at Bay Hill were designed by Dick Wilson and built by Bob Simmons as early as 1961, with the course hosting the API since 1979. The solo-round record score at Bay Hill is shared by three players while the low tournament score is owned by Payne Stewart (264 strokes), achieved in 1987.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Previous Winners
ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL BETTING ODDS
Winner odds (correct at time of publishing) are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Scottie Scheffler (+320)
- Rory McIlroy (+750)
- Ludvig Aberg (+1600)
- Xander Schauffele (+1600)
- Collin Morikawa (+2200)
- Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)
- Justin Thomas (+2800)
- Patrick Cantlay (+3000)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+3500)
- Sungjae Im (+4500)
- Will Zalatoris (+5000)
- Keegan Bradley (+5500)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+5500)
- Sam Burns (+5500)
- Viktor Hovland (+5500)
- Maverick McNealy (+5500)
- Wyndham Clark (+6000)
- Tony Finau (+6000)
- Robert MacIntyre (+6000)
- Russell Henley (+6500)
- Shane Lowry (+6500)
- Daniel Berger (+6500)
- All other players priced at +7000 or higher
ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL BETTING PICKS
FAVORITE: Patrick Cantlay (+3000)
Cantlay isn’t doing anything spectacular this year but he’s gaining strokes in every area of the game for a total of 1.2 total SG per round, which ranks 12th on tour. The Californian has two top-fives in his last three starts, including last time out at the Genesis Invitational.
Surprisingly, he hasn’t played this event too many times but was T4th here two years ago, and I see no reason why he can’t go on and contend again. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour in two-and-a-half years so that drought surely has to end soon, especially with how solid he is playing right now.
OUTSIDER: Shane Lowry (+6500)
Lowry enters the week in good competitive shape after finishing T11th last week at PGA National, where he opened with a 66 and closed with a 67. The Irishman was second at Pebble Beach last month and, impressively, has not finished outside of the top-13 in 10 of his last 12 starts. He was third here last year, too, so could easily go on and perform well once again.
FAVORITE: Tommy Fleetwood (+3500)
This could be the week where Tommy Fleetwood finally crosses the line in first at a PGA Tour event. He is a world-class ball striker and Bay Hill rewards those of his ilk, plus his skills around the green can keep the Englishman in contention.
Fleetwood still has to putt well enough in order to compete, so he will need to buck a mildly concerning trend on the greens of late, but I'm backing the die-hard Everton fan to slip on a red cardigan come Sunday with a gritty performance his beloved Toffees would be proud of.
OUTSIDER: Corey Conners (+7000)
Another fantastic ball-striker, Conners will be hoping for his latest strong result at an event which has proven to be one of his favorites over the past few years. Conners has recorded top-21 finishes in each of his past four appearances at Bay Hill, started off by a third in 2021.
The Canadian is superb with longer clubs and is generally a good putter, although his start to 2025 hasn't been ideal in that regard. Nevertheless, Conners appeared to have found something with the flat stick at the Genesis which - if he can repeat this week - should give him a great chance of being in the mix come Sunday.
HOW TO WATCH THE ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL
USA (ET)
- Thursday, March 6 - Round One: 2:00pm - 6:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Friday, March 7 - Round Two: 2:00pm - 6:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Saturday, March 8 - Round Three: 12:30pm - 2:30pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 2:30pm - 6:00pm (NBC/Peacock)
- Sunday, March 9 - Round Four: 12:30pm - 2:30pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 2:30pm - 6:00pm (NBC/Peacock)
UK (GMT)
- Thursday, March 6 - Round One: 4:00pm - 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday, March 7 - Round Two: 4:00pm - 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday, March 8 - Round Three: 3:00pm - 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday, March 9 - Round Four: 2:30pm - 10:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
