They sandwiched a pair of top 15s in his native South Africa in December, so its not like he hasnt put four round together in a minute. *: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. Previous rank: 10 Every eligible Top 50 player in the world is in attendance to battle it out for the $20 million purse. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. Scheffler will defend his title as The No. Finishes of 10th and 38th at Bay Hill with elite ball striking. The 26-year-old finished runner-up in two of the four majors in 2022, finished tied for sixth at the Masters and also recorded top-five performances at Muirfield Village and Torrey Pines. As it has throughout the FedExCup era, PGA National Resorts Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens is the host. PGA Tour Power Rankings: Arnold Palmer Invitational Written by Tyler Duke Last Updated Feb 28, 2023 Each week in our golf power rankings, we will highlight the top players on the PGA TOUR in order of likeliness to win the tournament. Patrick Cantlay 3. After pulling out of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (he was the defending champion) because of a back injury, Berger missed the cut at TPC Scottsdale. A year ago, PGA National averaged 71.341, and thats pretty much where everyone expected it to land. Just like his new world ranking, the Spaniard cant seem to do anything wrong currently, and hell be looking for his 4th win of the year this week. So, course management and accepting par as a great score at times will be key. An entertaining run on the west coast headlined the PGA Tour during the January and February months, but now the golfers have headed east with the Masters on the horizon in early April. Tyrrell Hatton : With some solid form building and a trip back to Florida, Hatton has to be in good spirits going to Bay Hill. The course is infamous for the Bear Trap closing stretch of holes 16-18 where thousands of wayward shots have gone to a watery grave in past years. Who's on the bubble in men's CBB? 8. Previous rank: 11 This is the fourth designated event of the season. As one of three invitationals on Tour, its an invite-only field of 120 players and provides automatic three-year exemption status to the winner of the event instead of the standard two years. He has 10 top-10s in 14 starts there, including a victory in 2020. Wind is often a factor at this event and seven water hazards eat up a lot of wayward shots. As usual, a longshot that makes the top-25 this week is Alex Smalley. 20. Jon Rahm is a +650 favorite to triumph at Bay Hill. 12. His opening 74 was the highest score by anyone inside the top 28. Sungjae Im : Im not going to make the mistake of dismissing Sungjae this week because of a couple of mediocre results at Honda and Riviera. Previous rank: 15 The reigning U.S. Open winner has only four PGA Tour starts this season; his best finish was a tie for seventh at the Tournament of Champions. Its, ahem, treated to one of the hardest par 70s on the PGA TOUR. Poston, Thomas Detry, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider. Chris Kirk lifted his first trophy since 2015 as he completely a lovely comeback story after dealing with alcoholism and depression. Plus, access replays, originals and more. He was 3-under after 36 holes and trailed by 9 shots. Winners become PGA TOUR members for life, but theyre treated to so much more. Who's out: Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Just missed the cut: DeChambeau, Hatton, Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Harris English, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Matthew Wolff, PGA Tour Power Rankings: Time to make a change at the top, A battle for No. He flew back to the U.S. to compete in the WM Phoenix Open, and the long travel seemed to catch up with him. 16. All of golfs best players will be in attendance. pic.twitter.com/0TL3TH7DyA, Scottie Scheffler couldn't believe it.Neither could this fan pic.twitter.com/YpzqEDCBkx, What happens when a fan catches your golf ball? For a variety of reasons. Still, given his track record at Bay Hill and doses of phenomenal form a fortnight ago at Riviera, youll excuse any competitor for not missing him on the leaderboard this week. He'll take you inside the world of golf with exclusive looks at some of the top courses, feature stories, celebrity guests and interviews with the biggest stars in golf. Pro golf will be back to California this summer for the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, but the PGA Tours West Coast swing is in the books. He also took T-21st at last years Open Championship. Ranks 4th in High Winds and 8th in SG: APP. There are designated events, and then there is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Your guess is as good as anyones about when Collin putts well, but when he does, hes generally always in the Top 5. Pictured: Rory McIlroy (left) and Brooks Koepka. Seamus Power: irl 2.579 . He was unable to earn his card through Korn Ferry Tour Finals last year, but he can redeem himself by going low at PGA National. 1 Jon Rahm. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. In five starts, Burns has made a respectable four cuts, but last year's T-9th (72-69-75-71) was his first top-10 at Bay Hill. He had one of the better fall swings of anyone on tour. He finished 10th in the Genesis Invitational last season, after claiming his second PGA Tour win in the event in 2021. Szokol opens with 64, up 3 shots in Singapore, More PGA Tour changes: No cuts, smaller fields, Rahm sought Tiger's advice on staying No. He was playing incredibly consistent golf before that, and his history at Arnold Palmer is very strong with a pair of 3rd place finishes and nothing worse than 21st in 4 tries. The Dick Wilson design is a course that does not allow players to get too creative strategically. Cantlay ranks 127th on tour in shots gained: approach (-.117). He outlasted a couple of huge longshots in Eric Cole and Ryan Gerard, both of which would have been incredible stories on their own. It's difficult to believe that it has been 456 days since DJ last won a PGA Tour event -- the 2020 Masters that was played in November. While golf may not have money lines, you can check out your wide variety of options while locking in our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. It's major week once again and with the best players in the world preparing to tee it up at Kiawah Island, we have listed 10 players in our PGA Championship Player Power Rankings. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Both of his top 25s on the PGA TOUR have occurred in his transplanted hometown event, and both are top-15 finishes. 7. Sundays finale easily will be the best round in the context of scoring conditions, but Bay Hills bite might strengthen even more than usual as the wind will rotate and howl in from the north. Jon Rahm TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), SUNDAY: Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, hasn't yet his stride this season. Its an event dating back to 1972 thats been held at its current venue, PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, since 2007. The injury is hopefully past him now, and we know Zalatoris is at his best in major-like conditions. The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hillbrings out many of the best players in the world due to its rich history and the new elevated status it holds on the PGA Tour. He briefly challenged Rahm on Sunday, and he was playing some of the best golf in the world to end his 2022. He is skipping the Genesis Invitational after missing the cut in his last two starts at Riviera. The PGA Tour's 2021-22 season started way back in September but it kicks into high gear this week with the annual Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua's Plantation course.. Its officially a designated event in 2023, but you dont need to conceive a visual of the King himself winking, grinning and giving a thumbs-up to approve what we already know, that this tournament is special. Another bounce back for @XSchauffele pic.twitter.com/pIvn48nDKs, It's official. By signing up here for a new account right now, all new users can lock in their chance at $150 in bonus bets. Also recorded a T11 at Pebble Beach four weeks ago. Has only one start at Bay Hill. 1 for much of last season, when he won four times, including his first major championship (at the Masters). He tied for 32nd at the Genesis in 2021. *: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Kim, from South Korea, is tough to beat when his putter gets hot. @JordanSpieth found out on this unique ruling on No. Hovland won the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event that Woods hosted in the Bahamas in December, but he hasn't done anything spectacular in official tournaments so far in 2023. It was only a matter of time before the former Texas star closed out his first PGA Tour victory, and it finally happened on Sunday, when he beat Cantlay in a playoff. Its all about finding the fairway however you can to avoid hazards around the green and avoid approaching from the long Bermuda rough. He should be well rested after taking last week off following a missed cut at the Genesis Invitational. The strongest that the invisible force will get is approximately 20 mph, but the positive spin, as it were, is that it'll be consistent throughout the tournament. 5. This years field is as weak as this tournaments seen in years. Ranks 17th in the model. The driver and putter are putting in elite work, while the irons have shown enough life at times to get him near the top of the leaderboard. He claimed the Houston Open in November and has four straight finishes of 16th or better since then, after finishing in a tie for 14th at Phoenix. If your first wager is a winner, not only will you receive the profits, but $150 worth of bonus bets will also be yours. By Friday, thatll be the sustained average for the prevailing push from the southwest, while gusts will reach 35 mph. Viktor Hovland : Hovlands short game continues to let him down as he struggles to get much going since his run at The Open at St. Andrews. The tee-to-green play was still there, and now the World No. Sure, its been 10 years since Woods last won at Bay Hill, but he collected eight victories here across 14 editions, including the last two of three consecutive when the course routed as a par 70 through 2009. His career victory total is second among South Korean golfers; K.J. Scottie Scheffler : The World No. Scottie Scheffler became the third straight first-time winner on tour, beating Patrick Cantlay in a sudden-death playoff with a 26-foot putt Sunday at TPC Scottsdale. Its one of seven cuts made in 2022-23. Brutally difficult conditions led to Scottie Scheffler persevering to win at 5-under last year. Jon Rahm is a +650 favorite to triumph at Bay Hill. Since winning the Shriners Children's Open in October, he tied for fifth at the Tournament of Champions and for sixth at the American Express. Collin Morikawa : Morikawa grades out exceptionally in every category this week except putting, and that will be the obvious spot that determines his finish this week. He had back-to-back top-five finishes at the Genesis before missing the cut last year. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. Previous rank: 7 Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. Finished 5th here last year. When the wind machine was on high for the final round, the course yielded a 75.481, highest for any final round on TOUR all season. Scroll to the bottom to find odds comparisons for every golfer in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Marc Leishman That elevated status brings a purse of $20 million. Michael Collins is back for an all-new season of America's Caddie. 9. 10. NHL trade grades: Latest deals Detroit Golf Club is a shorter par-72, measuring 7,370 yards and is one of the easiest courses on the circuit. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. One of those was at Bay Hill in 2021, and hes been solid here in three starts. So, course management and accepting par as a great score at times will be key. He also led the Phoenix field in strokes gained: tee to green and scrambling. Rory McIlroy Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy entered the year ranked No. With tree-lined, narrow fairways on a longer course, elite drivers of the golf ball are at an upper hand at Bay Hill. As of Tuesday, five commits are currently exempt into THE PLAYERS, so the PRO also is an opportunity for Nate Lashley, Max McGreevy, Scott Piercy, Austin Smotherman and Nick Watney to sharpen their tools for the PGA TOURs flagship event. Here are the latest PGA Tour Power Rankings heading into this week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, where you-know-who (Tiger Woods!) His career-low round, of course, was a 59 at the 2020 Northern Trust. Impressive stuff. Hes found success on the Australasian Tour, Asian Tour, DP World Tour, etc. Because it can stretch to 7,466 yards and winds often punish, muscle almost always has contributed to the profile of the champion. It guarantees that someone else will be holding the trophy. The Honda Classic, PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, After a slow start to the season, the former Florida star is beginning to heat up. 21. Like the TV newscaster in the classic movie "Network," Hahn is mad as hell except he's mad as hell about the changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2024. The driver has been very consistent lately, so hell just need a colder than usual putter to get rolling. SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. He's 13th strokes gained: total and has putted well this season. Jon Rahm : Rahms numbers in the model this week are just absurd, and hes a runaway No. Those rarities occurred in the third round (69.85) in 2014 and the second round (69.61) in 2017. You neednt consider further than the household names among first-time winners such at Tony Finau (2016) and Viktor Hovland (2020) to understand the springboard effect that the Puerto Rico Open can have. Former Ryder Cup members Shane Lowry, Alex Noren,. He has five top-25 finishes in seven tour starts this season, including a tie for third at the Shriners Children's Open and QBE Shootout, an unofficial event. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM's. On the heels of last weeks Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the tour takes its talents to Orlandos Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational that begins on Thursday and wraps up on Sunday. Notice the amount of green AM tee times. The 15th edition of the Puerto Rico Open is slated to be contested concurrently with the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard for the second straight year. Finally, the forecast for this week is predicting very high winds on Friday and Saturday along with consistent winds for the rest of the week. Min Woo Lee is making his Honda Classic debut this week on a sponsor exemption. Going into Round 3 . Ranks 10th in the model and 11th in SG: APP. Nothing but sunshine and a few passing clouds will consume the sky. As always, Ill prefer distance, but you can get around here in a variety of ways. Over his past six starts, Hoge finished tied for fourth, missed cut, solo second, missed cut, first and a tie for 14th. Highest-Owned Golfers. Scheffler is the defending champion at Bay Hill, as he edged out Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel by a single stroke. On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler reminded everyone in the sport who was ranked No. On cue, the wind steps forward as the primary defense to a course that surrendered a scoring average of 71.339 last year, which essentially is the expectation. 21+: TheLines.com and all content herein is intended for audiences 21 years and older. The challenge for him will be a poor history so far in high winds. "I mean, I hate them," Hahn said during a phone interview with Golfweek that interrupted his gym workout. Previous rank: 19 More ESPN+ content . Daytime highs could hit 90 degrees until the wind shifts. Schauffele called on his former Long Beach State teammate, Kevin "Tech" Techakanokboon, to carry his bag this weekend. Ranking Four World Championship Tournaments. It's probably only a matter of time before Burns starts heating up again, after a relatively quiet start to 2023. TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), SUNDAY: Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. Stream on ESPN+. 1 last season, following his victory at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. Much of Fitzpatrick's best work over the past few months has come in Europe, where he was second in the Italian Open and tied for fifth at the DP World Tour championship. So, the test still tips at 7,125 yards, the tallest of the overseeded rough might not reach three inches and the TifEagle bermuda greens will run 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. Things are about to get good on the PGA Tour. It started to come together at TPC Scottsdale. Schauffele's ailing back hasn't been much of a problem since he withdrew from the Tournament of Champions in his first start of 2023. Finished 9th here in 2020. Trusting that greens will be adjusted accordingly, its a plan that likely will extend into Saturdays third round for which the elements will mimic the opener, albeit with a slight risk of inclement weather. 24. pic.twitter.com/gpqP1Q1WlN. 23. He tied for 45th at the Saudi International. After a weekend of beer showers, aces and shirtless celebrations at the biggest party of the season at the WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour returns to normalcy with this week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Finau has (barely) cooled off from his sizzling stretch last season, in which he won in back-to-back starts and was ninth at the Tour Championship. Now 291st in the OWGR, the 29-year-old is seeking to rekindle the form that he flashed here last year. Will likely be excited to get back on Bermuda. He hit the ball well last year, gaining nearly 2 strokes per round tee-to-green on the field, but his putting was dreadful, which is why he finished in a tie for 43rd. 4. The 24-year-old has two-career DP World Tour wins at the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open and the 2021 abrdn Scottish Open. Gary Woodland : Woodlands irons have been on fire, so theres definitely some intrigue here after he finished 9th at Riviera and gained 9.7 strokes on approach. The winner in a 156-player field has a record of 155-0-0, the runner-up is 154-1-0, etc. Won at Bay Hill in 2016 and has finished decently in all three tries since. It didnt matter to him that there were two fewer par 5s at the time, but thats always been a cornerstone weapon for the 82-time PGA TOUR winner. Sungjae Im The Irishman has it going again with a 14th Riviera and 5th at Honda with more excellent ball striking. With primary rough at least 3 inches high, distance and accuracy off the tee plays up all week. His current form is absolutely terrible, as hes been dealing with an injury and the irons have been awful.