2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational Betting Preview: Bay Hill Picks, Predictions and Odds

Will Scottie Scheffler continue to dominate Bay Hill at this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational?

Scottie Scheffler is once again the runaway favorite at Bay Hill, having won this event twice in the past three years. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

After two weeks of non-signature events, the best players on the PGA Tour will tee it up at Bay Hill for this week’s signature event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The tournament has been dominated by Scottie Scheffler for the past three years. He won it here in both 2022 and 2024 and finished T4 in 2023. He’s had a couple of solid starts in 2025 but is still seeking his first victory of the year. Is this the week he gets it?

Let’s look at everything you need to know to bet on this week’s tournament, including my top picks.

Arnold Palmer Invitational odds

Top 15 odds to win via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Scottie Scheffler +330
• Rory McIlroy +800
• Xander Schauffele +1400
• Ludvig Aberg +1600
• Collin Morikawa +2000
• Justin Thomas +2500
• Hideki Matsuyama +2500
• Patrick Cantlay +2800
• Tommy Fleetwood +3000
• Sungjae Im +4000
• Will Zalatoris +4500
• Matt Fitzpatrick +4500
• Keegan Bradley +4500
• Wyndham Clark +5000
• Viktor Hovland +5000

Arnold Palmer Invitational how to watch

• Thursday: 2–6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Friday: 2–6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 12:30–2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 2:30–6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
• Sunday: 12:20–2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 2:30–6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Arnold Palmer Invitational purse

• Date: Thursday, Mar. 6–Sunday, Mar. 9
• Purse: $20 million ($4 million to winner)
• 2024 champion: Scottie Scheffler

Arnold Palmer Invitational notable golfers

Scottie Scheffler: The No. 1 golfer in the world has shown flashes of his greatness this season, but it seems he has needed some time to fully recover from the hand injury sustained over the holidays. If there’s an event where he’s going to snap back to being the dominant golfer he was last season, it could be at Bay Hill this week, where he’s won two of the last three years.

Xander Schauffele: We haven't seen Xander Schauffele in action since the season-opening Sentry due to a rib injury. As a result, this will be the first event of 2025 in which we’ll have the top three golfers in the world in the field. Schauffele hasn't had much success at Bay Hill in his career, with a T24 finish in 2020 being his best result, but this will serve as a great warmup for him ahead of next week’s Players Championship.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets

Rory McIlroy +850 (via BetMGM)

I don’t typically like to give out a top-three golfer on the odds list as a best bet, but I can’t look past Rory McIlroy in this spot. With Scottie Scheffler still finding his best stuff since his hand injury and Xander Schauffele making his first start since his rib injury, McIlroy looks like the most win-ready golfer in the field.

People forget how well McIlroy has played at Bay Hill in his career. He finished 13th or better here every year from 2017 to 2023, including a win in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2023. His superior driving gives him a leg up at one of the most difficult off-the-tee courses on the PGA Tour’s schedule and has historically thrived in the Florida swing of the calendar. His win at Pebble Beach has shown that this is some of the best form we’ve seen him in recently, and while +850 odds may not excite bettors too much, I think there’s some value on that price point this week.

Patrick Cantlay +3000 (via FanDuel)

Have we all forgotten about Patrick Cantlay? Sure, he hasn’t been in contention to win these events, but he has posted just one finish outside the top 25 since last year’s U.S. Open. He comes into this event finishing T5 in two of his last three starts while gaining over +1.2 strokes per round with his approach play in his last two.

Cantlay also has a good history at Bay Hill. He’s only teed it up here twice but posted a T4 finish at the 2023 edition of the event. I’m surprised there's still a 30-1 available on Cantlay at FanDuel.

Ben Griffin +8000 (via FanDuel)

If you want a bit of a longshot bet this week, consider Ben Griffin, who checks a lot of the boxes we’re looking for in an 80-1 bet. He ranks 34th on Tour in total driving, and he’s coming into this event in great form. He finished T4 at both the Mexico Open and Cognizant Classic and finished T14 when he teed it up at this event in 2023.

A solid course fit, great recent form and past success at Bay Hill are all you can ask for when it comes to an 80-1 outright bet.

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