These Bermuda greens are fast and pure, and the winner here tends to have a really strong week with the flat stick. Jordan Spieth Rahm will surely be targeted by plenty of golf pundits in their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama will be among the notables considered in Golfbet Insider. The North Dakota native is on a remarkable run. But he missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open after hitting consecutive shots into the water on No. Bradley, 36, is third in FedEx Cup points. It's probably only a matter of time before Burns starts heating up again, after a relatively quiet start to 2023. MEN -- 10 needed to qualify on nine worldwide tours: PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Nationwide Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Southern Africa Tour, PGA Tour of AustralAsia . Any tournament can be won with elite iron play, but with higher scores and the importance on driving it well here, you can get away with just a decent week with the irons. That resembled last year when he coasted at Riviera after winning in Phoenix and then added a 2nd victory at Bay Hill. Completely disregarded the laws on physics on this one. 57 in the OWGR, moving him closer to the top 50 for an invitation to the Masters in April. Sahith Theegala Kim, from South Korea, is tough to beat when his putter gets hot. He carded an 8-under 63 in the second round, the lowest round of the tournament, and hit all 18 greens in regulation, which he had done only one other time in 843 official rounds on tour. Just because you know what to do doesnt make it an easy task. With tree-lined, narrow fairways on a longer course, elite drivers of the golf ball are at an upper hand at Bay Hill. Hes much better on Bermuda, and hes worth a look this week due to his strong ball striking and ability to get it around well in high winds. Ranks 2nd in SG: P and 16th in the model. He is scheduled to play in the Genesis Invitational. I'm not happy at all that I'm seventh. Thomas posted his fifth top-20 finish in as many PGA Tour starts this season with a tie for eighth at the WM Phoenix Open. Yeah, you might want to move those next year. His ball-striking is elite and ranks . He also took T-21st at last years Open Championship. Jon Rahm is a +650 favorite to triumph at Bay Hill. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has made only two starts on tour this year, finishing 38th in the Tournament of Champions and tied for 17th in the Sony Open. He was also fifth in fewest putts per round (28.14). However, with five consecutive paydays going back to 2016, three of which for a top 10, itd be surprising only if he wasnt among others to consider, and hes hardly a throw-in. 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. 17 took a bad bounce and went into the water, resulting in a bogey. Patrick Cantlay : Cantlay quickly brushed off his surprising struggles in Phoenix with a 3rd at Riviera. One prize fight after another. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. 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. To go forward, we must go back for a moment and tie off a loose end. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy entered the year ranked No. He tied for 11th at the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for sixth in Phoenix. 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. In fact, a field has beaten par in a round just twice since PGA National assumed its role as the host in 2007. He was sixth on the DP World Tour last year in driving distance (322.07). If your first wager is a winner, not only will you receive the profits, but $150 worth of bonus bets will also be yours. The four Par 5s are the real scoring opportunities at Bay Hill. Previous rank: 18 Last week at PGA National gave us a fun week considering the lack of star power in the field. 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. Six were top-fives. Thomas, the reigning PGA Championship winner, still seemed to be dialing things in heading into Phoenix. Poston, Thomas Detry, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider. A string of solid performances at the Corales Puntacana that read 14th (2020), 22nd (2021) and runner-up last year, and a top-12 (2021) at the Bermuda Championship are signs that Smalley has a liking to these tropical locations. 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. 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. Bay Hill gives players more approaches from 200 or more yards than any other course on Tour. Weve seen high winds at Bay Hill in the past, and the course plays outrageously hard when thats the case. Dustin Johnson Previous rank: 7 Cantlay ranks 127th on tour in shots gained: approach (-.117). Look for his following contributions as scheduled. By Friday, thatll be the sustained average for the prevailing push from the southwest, while gusts will reach 35 mph. Rather, its one of those tracks that players will say is all out in front of you. That means its all about executing. His best finish in three starts this year was a tie for 13th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 5. It's the third ace of his career. PGA Tour Power Rankings: Cameron rises, Rory surges and LIV players exit 220d Mark Schlabach A battle for No. Kevin Yu and Joseph Bramlett both finished T7 at Pebble and didnt get into the WM as predicted, but only Bramlett is committed to the Honda (as of Monday). 21. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are among them, and Scheffler comes in as the defending champion. The defending Genesis Invitational champ is starting to find his form. Its in a tough spot on the schedule with back-to-back designated events coming right before and another one to immediately follow at next weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, Here's everything you missed this week in professional golf, Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense, Quigley fires 65 for early lead in PGA Champions, Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters, Tiger not part of field for next week's Players, Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open, Rahm stays hot, finishes strong for Bay Hill lead, Rookie Young captures Puerto Rico lead with 63. Click here to join DraftKings for a chance to win a $150 bonus on a $5 bet. Missed fairways will be inevitable, so playing out of the thick rough with short irons instead of long irons is a big advantage. 10. The PGA Tour's Florida Swing kicks off this week in Palm Beach Gardens when the 2023 Honda Classic tees off at PGA National. 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. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports. He tied for fifth at 7-under at Riviera last year. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. 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. He had three victories in his previous eight worldwide starts. Previous rank: 1 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. Bay Hill currently measures 7,419 yards for a par 72. Hes unsurprisingly 1st in High Winds, and some of his recent top finishes came when the going got very tough. FREE Picks Contest For the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Win An Amazon Gift Card Instantly! The question will be if the putter does enough to win. One of those was at Bay Hill in 2021, and hes been solid here in three starts. After missing the cut in three of his past four tour starts, Koepka finally showed a pulse and was in contention to win his third WM Phoenix Open title. 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. He'll make his debut on tour this year at Riviera. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. 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 was 120th in shots gained: approach going into the WM Phoenix Open. 24. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. Bradley's renewed commitment to fitness and conditioning has paid off in a big way. Bay Hill has been a stock par 72 since 2010. Choi had eight PGA Tour wins. 1 for more than another dozen years to catch Woods' record total of 679 weeks ranked atop the Official World Golf Ranking. Thats where 2022 PRO champion Ryan Brehm is competing this week. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The Grateful Dead didn't release an album about 2020, but the band . In addition to the aforementioned rewards, clutching the silver trophy and slipping on the iconic red sweater, the winner will be exempt into THE PLAYERS Championship through 2025 and his PGA TOUR membership will be extended through at least 2026. Ranks 1st in SG: Par 5, 2nd in SG: APP and 2nd in the model. It was the last time Honda will host the tournament at PGA National. This event has annually attracted strong fields since it began in 1966 and moved to current host course, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, in 1979. Theegala is the first player this season to hold at least a share of two 54-hole leads. The driver has been very consistent lately, so hell just need a colder than usual putter to get rolling. by Mastercard Rd 2 - Suspended ESPN+ ESPN Search. Finished 9th here in 2020. 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. Will likely be excited to get back on Bermuda. Our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions are focused on Will Zalatoris, who is also among the top choices at +2200. Jason Sobel Updated: May 18, 2022, 11:21 AM EDT Download App Click arrow to expand 2022 PGA Championship odds via BetMGM Bet the PGA Championship risk-free up to $1,000. 25. The Dick Wilson design is a course that does not allow players to get too creative strategically. In addition to fully exempt status in the winners category through 2025, the champion will earn exemptions into THE PLAYERS Championship next week, the PGA Championship in May and the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2024. Few players have performed better at the TPC Scottsdale than Matsuyama, who had victories there in 2016 and 2017. As it has throughout the FedExCup era, PGA National Resorts Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens is the host. 20. He finished in a tie for third at 15-under. All four Par 3s, all four Par 5s and a few Par 4s will likely require a long iron this week at Bay Hill. He still has three top-10s, including a victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He also led the Phoenix field in strokes gained: tee to green and scrambling. 18. He ranks in the top 15 on tour in strokes gained: total, tee to green and approach. Shortest in odds and claiming top honor is Sungjae Im. Ignoring guys who hit it straighter off the tee with average distance would discredit a group of guys who seem just as likely to win around Bay Hill. The four par 3s, including the two that bracket The Bear Trap Nos. Its clear the Englishman loves the firm conditions and high winds that are often present in Orlando. RECORDS: A player's won-lost-tied record, based on head-to-head competition, in each category. 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. 9. As always, Ill prefer distance, but you can get around here in a variety of ways. 1 once again. Since tying for second at the Shriners Children's Open in early October, he tied for 16th at the Tournament of Champions, tied for 26th at the American Express and missed the cut in Phoenix, where he lost in a playoff to Scheffler last season. Rickie Fowler. Schauffele called on his former Long Beach State teammate, Kevin "Tech" Techakanokboon, to carry his bag this weekend. Kevin Yu and Joseph Bramlett both finished T7 at Pebble and didnt get into the WM as predicted, but only Bramlett is committed to the Honda (as of Monday). Proud of how I fought around the golf course.". The tee-to-green play was still there, and now the World No. J.T. Cameron Smith will not be in the field to defend his title due to leaving for LIV Golf. pic.twitter.com/djDjZuFQFy, 321 yards 13 feet@MaxHoma23 with one of the best drives of the week on 17 @WMPhoenixOpen. Schauffele made too many mistakes down the stretch to end a three-year drought without a victory on tour. It should also be noted that Zalatoris was in the top 10 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2021.