Arnold Palmer Invitational First Round Leader Picks: Bet Matt Fitzpatrick to Start Fast at Bay Hill

The next signature event on the PGA Tour calendar is set for Bay Hill this week.

I’ve already given you my best bets to win this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, but not everyone wants to wait all four rounds to find out if their pick wins. If you’re one of those people, consider betting the First Round Leader market. This bet is a wager on which golfer will be leading after Thursday’s action.

Not only is it a fun bet to follow in the opening round, but with increased variance allows you to bet on the top golfers at longer odds. It also gives you a chance to bet on some golfers further down the odds list who you think can string together a strong round, but may not have the skill to keep it up over 72 holes.

Let’s take a look at my top two picks to be the first round leader at Bay Hill.

Arnold Palmer Invitational First Round Leader Bets

Matt Fitzpatrick +3000 (FanDuel)

No golfer on the PGA Tour has been a better ballstriker than Matt Fitzpatrick this season, but his putting has let him down. Thankfully, he now heads to a course where he’s never lost strokes on the greens. If he can turn his putting around, while continuing to have elite ballstriking, Fitzpatrick is going to be in the mix from start to finish this week. It's also worth noting that Fitzpatrick is seventh on the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average at 67.25.

Sungjae Im +7500 (FanDuel)

Remember Sungjae Im? He hasn't competed on the PGA Tour yet this season due to an injury but makes his 2026 debut at this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. It’s yet to be seen what kind of form Im will be in, but he’s always had a great history at this event. He has never finished outside the top 21 and posted back-to-back top-three finishes in 2019 and 2020.

Based on course familiarity alone, Im could put together a strong round or two this week. Let’s take a shot on him at 75 to 1 and hope one of those strong rounds comes on Thursday.

Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code offer to win $100 in bonus bets. Simply sign up, deposit $5, and place a $5 wager. If you win your bet, you will receive $300 in bonus bets within 72 hours.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!