Arnold Palmers Invitational Matchup Bets: Target Good Drivers at Bay Hill
The Arnold Palmer Invitational boasts a strong field and is hosted at the historic Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
You can find my full betting preview and outright picks here, and you can also find a few long shot bets that you should be eye'ing here.
Finally, if you're into DFS, you should check out FanSided's Cody Williams' article on his best picks for DFS lineups this week.
In this article, I'm going to focus on tournament-long matchup bets. For these to cash, the golfer you bet on has to finish higher up on the leaderboard than the player he's matched up against. Note that these bets are for the entire tournament, not just one round.
All odds listed are via WynnBET Sportsbook.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Matchup Bets
- Viktor Hovland -115 vs. Scottie Scheffler
- Keith Mitchell -125 vs. Max Homa
- Sergio Garcia -125 vs. Tommy Fleetwood
Viktor Hovland -115 vs. Scottie Scheffler
As I pointed out in my betting preview, you should be targeting golfers this week who are strong off the tee, and who are accurate from approach shots that measure at least 200 yards. Viktor Hovland excels in both of these categories, ranking 19th on the Tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee and T22 in approach proximity from 200+ yards. Scottie Scheffler ranks T73 and 68th in those two statistics, respectively.
Hovland's biggest hole in his game is his chipping ability, but that's the one area that Bay Hill won't challenge many golfers this week. Hovland should be a strong play in matchup bets.
Keith Mitchell -125 vs. Max Homa
Not only is Keith Mitchell a strong driver of the golf ball, but he's quietly been playing some of the best and most consistent golf of his career. In his last six starts, he has two T12 finishes, a T10, T7, and a T9 at last week's Honda Classic.
Pair that with the fact he's third in strokes gained: off-the-tee and T18 in approaches from 200+ yards, and you have a good bet against Max Homa 46th and T60 in those two stats.
Sergio Garcia -125 vs. Tommy Fleetwood
I don't know what's happened to Tommy Fleetwood, but he hasn't looked himself since golf restarted after the pandemic. He missed the cut at least week's Honda Classic, and he's losing strokes both off the tee and with his approach games.
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has been one of the strongest drivers on Tour this season, ranking sixth in strokes gained: off-the-tee. This is a bet on someone whose strong off the tee, against someone who looks extremely fade-able as of late.