Four of the world’s top six golfers will be among those facing the challenge this week at the PGA Tour 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. World No. 1 Jon Rahm has been one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent players for over a year and he will make his first appearance at the event, which takes place on Thursday. He will be joined by 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational champion Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 5 in the world, as well as Viktor Hovland No. 4 and Scottie Scheffler No. 6. Bryson DeChambeau, who won last year but fell to 12th place through injury, had to withdraw because of those problems. However, a strong Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 playing field, which includes Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im and Will Zalatoris among many other stars, will go a long way with water lurking everywhere.
Rahm has no Bay Hill experience, but he has unparalleled skill, so Caesars Sportsbook lists him as the favorite with 17-2 in the latest Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 odds. McIlroy (12-1), Scheffler (16-1) and Hovland (16-1) are also considered strong contenders to be the winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 field. Before you do anything any selection of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2022, Be sure to check out the PGA Tour predictions and betting tips from SportsLine golf expert Sal Johnson.
The esteemed golfer has watched the game for years and knows what it takes to win, both on tour and at Bay Hill. Before last year’s event, he rated DeChambeau as a player who would be competitive and knew the adventurous style of a big hitter could pay off on this course.
“Bay Hill is a very good course for him,” Johnson said ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2021, “because he can gamble on a lot of holes and make a lot of shots.” DeChambeau scored and was one of three underdogs in the final round to go 11 under in his eighth career win.
Johnson also has Tyrrell Hatton among his top picks ahead of his win at Bay Hill in 2020, and the pro has been going strong this season. Ahead of the Mayakoba event in Mexico, Johnson has Hovland among his players to watch, while he predicts Brooks Koepka will miss the cut. Koepka went home early, while Hovland shot 23-under to win by four strokes.
Before the Zozo Championship, Johnson had bet Matsuyama on his best bets, and he was right. Matsuyama shot 65 finals and won five strokes after taking a one-stroke eight-hole lead to play Sunday. And at Sanderson Ranch, Johnson marked Sam Burns as the winner. Anyone who follows Johnson’s advice gets a lot of money.
Now Johnson, the first “Inside the PGA Tour” producer and longtime ABC Sports golf producer who has worked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, has released the very confident Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 picks mine. The selections from the founder of GOLFstats.com, the world’s leading database of golf statistics, are sure to surprise you. Johnson’s Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, predictions and expert analysis are available only at SportsLine.
The Expert’s Top Picks for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitation
In a big shock, the golf pro is fading Matsuyama, who hasn’t played well in Florida throughout his career. The 30-year-old has finished in the top 10 only once in seven starts at Bay Hill, and he has made just two of his other 12 appearances at the Sunshine State. His putter is notoriously fickle, and he ranks 152nd in putt hits. He drew eighth at Phoenix but tied with 30th at Farmers last week and a T-39 at the Riviera, so he’s not in a great tension. With all that in mind, Johnson recommends driving in a different direction for this week’s tournament.
Rahm has been the best player on the tour for more than a year now – and officially the best player in the world since last summer – and Johnson hasn’t seen much change. The Spaniard has never played this course before, but his game will suit it. He shot far from the tee (third in driving distance at 319.6 yards) and accurate on the greens (first in regulatory green with 78 per cent). Those numbers would be good anywhere, but they would be especially beneficial for him at Bay Hill. The 27-year-old has been in the top 10 in 18 of his 28 leagues since the start of last season.
Hovland is on fire, and the golf pro is looking forward to seeing if he cools off on the cool Orlando track. He hasn’t played well at Bay Hill, placing 40th, 42nd and 49th, but his success this season is unquestionable. He has had three wins worldwide in his previous seven matches (Mayakoba, Hero World Challenge and Dubai Classic) and has finished fourth twice (Abu Dhabi and Genesis). He’s eighth on the regulation green tour (74.75 percent) and 34th in strokes hit, a big reason he’s leading in birdie averages this season is 5.73 per round.
Arnold Palmer Invitational’s golf swings in 2022
Johnson is backing a long shot among his options to win this week at Bay Hill, who won by 40-1. This player hit the green and made his put, and he had the top 10 shots at Bay Hill. “These are courses where he can win,” Johnson said of the player, and the pundit believes he could break through this week. Anyone supporting this underdog team at the Arnold Palmer Invitational could make big money. You can only get Johnson’s PGA picks and expert analysis at SportsLine.
Who won this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022 at Bay Hill? Where do Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland end up? And which long shot is back? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sal Johnson’s full projected standings, picks and analysis for the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2022, all from insiders who know the need to win, both at Bay Hill and the PGA Tourand find out.
2022 Arnold Palmer Attendance odds, fields, top candidates
Jon Rahm +850
Rory McIlroy +1200
Scottie Scheffler +1600
Viktor Hovland +1600
Hideki Matsuyama +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick +2800
Marc Leishman +3000
Sungjae Im +3000
Will Zalatoris +3300
Tyrrell Hatton +3300
Adam Scott +3300
Paul Casey +4000
Jason Kokrak +4000
Sam Burns +4000
Homa max +4000
Keith Mitchell +4000
Sergio Garcia +5000
Tommy Fleetwood +5000
Taylor Gooch +5000
Gary Woodland +5000
Maverick McNealy +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Jason Day +5500
Corey Conners +6000
Cameron Tringale +5500
Justin Rose +6000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5500
Chris Kirk +6600
List of Luke +6600
Cameron Young +6600
Seamus Power +6600
Erik Van Rooyen +7000
Lanto Griffin +7000
Tom Hoge +8000
Kevin Na +8000
Thomas Pieters +8000
Si-Woo Kim +8000
Keegan Bradley +8000
Sepp Straka +8000
Kevin Kisner +10000
Ian Poulter +10000
Lucas Glover +10000
Carlos Ortiz +10000
Patrick Reed +10000
Matthew Wolff +10000
Sebastian Munoz +10000
Sahith Theegala +10000
Lee Westwood +10000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee +10000
Troy Merritt +12500
Sam Ryder +12500
Kevin Streelman +12500
Taylor Pendrith +12500
Andrew Putnam +12500
Lee Hodges +12500
Rickie Fowler +12500
Denny McCarthy +12500
Brendon Todd +12500
Taylor Moore +12500
Garrick Higgo +12500
Martin Laird +12500
Aaron Wise +12500
Adam Svensson +12500
Matt Jones +12500
Aaron Rai +15000
JJ Spaun +15000
Takumi Kanaya +15000
Chez Reavie +15000
Orange Davis +15000
Patton Kizzire +15000
Dylan Fritteli +15000
Patrick Rodgers +15000
Lucas Herbert +15000
Charles Howell +15000
Pat Perez +15000
Nicolai Hojgaard +15000
Beau Hossler +15000
Danny Lee +20000
Brendan Steele +20000
Danny Willett +20000
Hudson Swafford +20000
Cameron Champ +20000
Sean O’Hair +20000
Doug Pin +20000
Min Woo Lee +20000
Michael Thompson +20000
Henrik Stenson +20000
Rory Sabbatini +20000
Zach Johnson +20000
Matt Wallace +20000
Padraig Harrington +20000
Branden Grace +20000
Davis Riley +20000
Alex Smalley +20000
Scott Stallings +20000
Brandt Snedeker +20000
Greyson Sigg +25000
Vincent Whaley +25000
Henrik Norlander +25000
Trey Mullinax +25000
Stephan Jaeger +25000
Hayden Buckley +25000
Graeme McDowell +30000
Nick Watney +30000
Peter Malnati +30000
Adam Long +30000
Charl Schwartzel +30000
Adam Schenk +30000
