2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational Betting Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

After a nearly 8-year hiatus from the winner’s circle, playing an extra playoff hole was well worth the wait for Chris Kirk. He finished ahead of Eric Cole for his first win of the season and 5th of his career.

This week we are staying in the Sunshine State with one of the deepest fields all season for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Championship course at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida.

2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

March 2-5, 2023
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, FL
Purse: $20,000,000
Defending Champ: Scottie Scheffler

The Arnold Palmer Invitational began in 1966 as the Florida Citrus Open Invitational and has been played under various names, but since 2007 has included the legend Arnold Palmer in its namesake. The tournament is a 72 hole, stroke play, with a cut after 36 holes down to the top 65 players and ties.

The weather is calling for a perfect week of golf with little to no chance of rain and temperatures in the upper 80s. Winds will be something to keep an eye on and could dry out the course for some extremely tough conditions.

What Course Is the Arnold Palmer Invitational Held At?

The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been played at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge since 1979. The course was designed in 1961 by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee but has undergone extensive renovations by Arnold Palmer over the years. This course and tournament is consistently one of the hardest in relation to scoring — the last five winners have averaged just (-10) and two of the last three finished in single-digit scores.

Bay Hill’s Championship course measures in at 7,466 par 72. Water comes into play on half the holes and the course has over 80 bunkers. Players will benefit from distance off the tee as well as the ability to hit consistent greens in regulation (GIRs). When not hitting GIRs, players proficient in scrambling will be a cut above the rest. The greens are larger than average but by no means does that translate to easy putting. Greens will continue to speed up through the weekend as winds can dry out the already fast greens.

AP Photos

How To Watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Thursday: 2:00-6:00 p.m. Golf Channel

Friday: 2:00-6:00 p.m. Golf Channel

Saturday: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Golf Channel; 2:30-6:00 p.m. NBC

Sunday: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Golf Channel; 2:30-6:00 p.m. NBC

How To Listen To the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Thursday: 12:00-8:00 p.m. Sirius XM

Friday: 12:00-8:00 p.m. Sirius XM

Saturday: 1:00-6:00 p.m. Sirius XM

Sunday: 1:00-6:00 p.m. Sirius XM

OddsJam’s best-in-class suite of betting tools give you the edge as a sports bettor to find the best odds and profitable betting opportunities in real time.

Payouts for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

The total purse of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational is $20,000,000, tying the highest purse to date this season. The winner receives an increased 550 FedEx Cup points and a minimum of 24 Official World Golf Ranking points — additional Official World Golf Ranking points can be added based on the tournament’s strength of field.

The champion also receives a total of a three-season exemption on the PGA Tour, up from two for other tournaments, as well as inclusion to the 2023 Masters, 2023 PGA Championship, and the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Finish	Payout
1	$3,600,000
2	$2,180,000
3	$1,380,000
4	$980,000
5	$820,000

How many Golfers are in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational?

As this is an invitational, the field size is down to 120 golfers teeing it up this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. With the additional year exemption on the line, added FedEx Cup points, and massive purse, the field is the most competitive we have seen this season. A staggering 43 of the top 50 Official World Golf Ranking players are teeing it up this week.

Who has the Best Odds of Winning the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational?

The current top 3 favorites to win the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational are the top 3 Official World Golf Ranking players with the best odds going to No. 1, Jon Rahm (+650), followed by No. 2 and defending champion, Scottie Scheffler (+950), and No. 3 Rory McIlroy (+1000) rounding out the top 3.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Past Winners

2022 Scottie Scheffler (-5)
2021 Bryson DeChambeau (-11)
2020 Tyrrell Hatton (-4)
2019 Francesco Molinari (-12)
2018 Rory McIlroy (-18)

2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational Predictions and Picks

Jon Rahm Tournament Winner | +650 at BetMGM

Once again, Jon Rahm is again this week’s favorite and my pick for this tournament winner. He is playing the best golf of his career and has already won five times this season between the PGA and European Tour. He is No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Total, GIRs %, and can be found in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach and Putting.

Rory McIlroy Top 5 Finish | +188 at BetMGM

Rory has played the Arnold Palmer invitational a total of eight times and has never finished worse than 27th. He had a five year top 10 finish streak snapped last year, finishing 13th. Rory knows his way around the course and has the game to back it up.

Tyrrell Hatton Top 10 Finish | +270 at BetMGM

Tyrrell Hatton has finished in the top 4 three of the six times he has played at Bay Hill, winning in 2020 and has never missed the cut. His ability to scramble and putting should have him locked in to a top 10 finish this week.