The world has now come full circle in the last year. In 2020, the Arnold Palmer Invitational was the final PGA tournament to be completed before the season was put on a three-month hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s an ignominious anniversary, to be sure, and not one worth celebrating. But what is worth noting is how well the PGA Tour rebounded and how this season, despite the restrictions that remain in place, has gotten off to a great start.
Collin Morikawa, the winner of the PGA Championship a year ago, came out on top at Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Workday Championship. The final round was highlighted by tributes to Tiger Woods, including a number of players who wore Tiger’s signature Sunday red and black.
The Tour now moves to Orlando and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Favorites to Win
- Rory McIlroy (+800)
- Bryson DeChambeau (+1200)
- Viktor Hovland (+1200)
- Tyrrell Hatton (+1600)
- Patrick Reed (+2000)
- Sungjae Im (+2000)
- Matthew Fitzpatrick (+2200)
- Paul Casey (+2800)
- Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)
- Francesco Molinari (+2800)
- Jordan Spieth (+3000)
If last season was any indication, this is a tournament that will be won by those who make the most out of bad shots. The Bay Hill course played at 2-over-par 74 in 2020 – the highest scoring average for a non-major in four years. So it’s not going to come down to who hits the greens, but who does the best when they don’t hit the greens.
That’s why you see Rory McIlroy’s name at the top of the favorites list. He was the 2018 champion here, and he knows how to play this course. And play it well, even when the winds are up, as they were in 2020.
Tyrrell Hatton was the winner at Bay Hill in 2020. He didn’t hit many fairways, but the Englishman is a scrambler, and it makes him another solid bet to do well in 2021. For what it’s worth, the early forecast calls for rain on Saturday, so Hatton will once again feel right at home.
Francesco Molinari is a great value play at +2800. He won this tournament in 2019 but wasn’t around in 2020 to defend his title because of a back injury. He has 28 career rounds at Bay Hill and has the fourth-best aggregate score in the field. He also just finished inside the top 10 at the Genesis Invitational two weeks ago.
Also, take a look at Jordan Speith at +3000. He has top five finishes at Phoenix and Pebble Beach in 2021 and is making his first-ever appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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