PGA Picks: Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
After last week’s tournament at the Cognizant Classic, the PGA Tour returns this week with another highly anticipated Signature Event that will feature many of the top-ranked players in the world.
This event is the Arnold Palmer Invitational that will be played at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lounge in Orlando, Florida.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is set to begin on Thursday, March 5, and will run through Sunday, March 8. The event will feature a field of 72 players.
Our article is set to break down the Arnold Palmer Invitational by providing you with a course overview and the betting odds as per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Get expert sports picks for every league and nearly every matchup on Doc’s free picks page.
Additionally, we will give you our best bets for the event, which will include an Outright Winner and two Top 20 Finish picks.
The Course
The Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Club and Lounge was designed by Dick Wilson in 1961 and has been played on the PGA Tour annually since 1966.
The course is a Par 72 and has a total yardage of 7,466. Further, it is made up of 14 Par 4s, four Par 5s, and four Par 3s.
Outright Winner Betting Odds
Below are the Top 10 outright betting odds for the Arnold Palmer Invitational as per DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Scottie Scheffler: +335
- Rory McIlroy: +980
- Tommy Fleetwood: +1850
- Xander Schauffele: +2050
- Matt Fitzpatrick: +2250
- Collin Morikawa: +2700
- Si Woo Kim: +2900
- Cameron Young: +3100
- Russell Henley: +3200
- Hideki Matsuyama: +3500
Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets
Outright Winner Pick: Rory McIlroy (+980)
With Scottie Scheffler set as the heavy favorite to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, I am looking at the next best option to pick up his first win of the 2026 season.
That, of course, is Rory McIlroy. While McIlroy has only played in two events this season, he finished T14 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and T2 at The Genesis Invitational.
He also has had a ton of success at this tournament throughout his career, finishing inside the Top 20 nine times in 11 attempts. This includes a T4 in 2017, a win in 2018, a T6 in 2019, a T5 in 2020, and a T2 as recently as 2023.
Given his success specifically at this tournament and his ability to finish, McIlroy is my best bet to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Top 20 Finish (Including Ties) Pick: Jake Knapp (+126)
When looking at some of the results for this season, Jake Knapp immediately stands out as one of my favorite Top 20 Finish bets.
Knapp has played five tournaments this season, all of which he finished inside the Top 20. These results include the following:
Sony Open in Hawaii: -10 (T11)
Farmers Insurance Open: -15 (T5)
WM Phoenix Open: -14 (8th)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: -18 (T8)
The Genesis Invitational: -13 (6th)
All of these results were an impressive display from Knapp, who will be looking to extend his streak of Top 20 Finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The one slight concern with Knapp is that he has only played this tournament once in his career. That was in 2024, where he finished T57 and posted a score of +12. Keep in mind that this was his rookie season on the PGA Tour.
Knapp has clearly improved over the last couple of seasons; therefore, given how consistent he has been in 2026, I am backing Knapp to finish in the Top 20 for the sixth time this season.
Top 20 Finish (Including Ties) Pick: Jacob Bridgeman (+186)
Similar to Jake Knapp, Jacob Bridgeman has been one of the most consistent players on Tour this season and, as such, looks to be another worthwhile Top 20 Finish bet.
Bridgeman took last week off at the Cognizant Classic, but before that, he earned his first PGA Tour win at the Genesis Invitational.
With that win, Bridgeman is now leading in FedEx Cup points and has finished inside the Top 20 in all five events he has played in. The results of these tournaments are as follows:
Sony Open in Hawaii: -12 (T4)
The American Express: -20 (T13)
WM Phoenix Open: -9 (T18)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: -18 (T8)
The Genesis Invitational: -18 (1st)
It is also worth noting that Bridgeman has played this tournament once, that being in 2025, where he finished with a score of -3 and T15.
Therefore, given his recent form and the fact that he performed well at this tournament last year, I am backing Bridgeman to finish inside the Top 20.
Get free expert sports picks on every game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.