The Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Championship kicks off tomorrow with a field that includes four of the top ten golfers in the world, six of the top ten on the PGA money list and 15 past Major winners. The headliners are World #2 Steve Stricker and World #3 Phil Mickelson. Stricker is already a winner on the PGA tour this year and Mickelson is a three-time Major winner and won the event back in 1997.
Also predicted to be high on the leaderboard are World #6 Jim Furyk, who won the Transitions Championship a week ago and World #9 Ernie Els, now in top form after winning the WGC-CA Championship two weeks ago. Tiger Woods won’t be back until the Master’s next month so this is one of the last opportunities for someone to make a run at his World #1 ranking. Other tour winners include World #11 Camilo Villegas. He has one win and four top 20 finishes this year. Look out for Charlie Schwartzel, too, as the young South African finished second behind Els in the WGC-CA Championship. He has two tournament wins in South Africa and finished ninth in the WGC Matchplay Championship last month.
Players are in for a challenge at Bay Hill in Florida with a completely new layout. The course was closed for four months to revamp each hole with new turf, new tees, expanded and rotated greens and new bunkers. What was once a par 70 is now a 72 so don’t expect any low scores. In three of the last five years, each player has shot at least one over par. Since 2000, the course has been ranked 11th or higher in difficulty six times.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Outright Odds
Phil Mickelson: 11/1 Eurobet
Steve Stricker: 16/1 William Hill
Ernie Els: 21.00 Titan Bet
Jim Furyk: 22/1 Eurobet
Nick Watney: 23.00 Titan Bet
Camilo Villegas: 25/1 William Hill
Robert Allenby: 28/1 Party Bets
Retief Goosen: 31.00 Titan Bet
K.J. Choi: 33/1 Ladbrokes
Sean O’Hair: 34.00 Titan Bet
Charlie Schwartzel: 40/1 Ladbrokes