Ranks 2nd in SG: APP and 4th in GIRs Gained. The qualifications for this exclusive event are pretty simple: win a tournament during the 2021 calendar year, stretching across two seasons (January to December). He finished 5 over, which was third-worst among players who made the cut. Finished 3rd and 11th here last two years. Going into Round 3 . It had chased a couple of grumbles on the Korn Ferry Tour just before that. Previous rank: 11 These Bermuda greens are fast and pure, and the winner here tends to have a really strong week with the flat stick. Cameron Smith will not be in the field to defend his title due to leaving for LIV Golf. TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), SUNDAY: Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Ranks 3rd in Proximity: 200+ Yards and 5th in the model. Previous rank: 21 The tee-to-green play was still there, and now the World No. Previous rank: 10 It was during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am three weeks ago when the expectation surfaced that top 10s at Pebble wouldnt pay forward for entry into the WM Phoenix Open. Sungjae Im : Im not going to make the mistake of dismissing Sungjae this week because of a couple of mediocre results at Honda and Riviera. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. Previous rank: 7 Skip to main content Skip to navigation > Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. Scottie Scheffler became the third straight first-time winner on tour, beating Patrick Cantlay in a sudden-death playoff with a 26-foot putt Sunday at TPC Scottsdale. 1, LIV Golf's debut on The CW scores low ratings, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Kirk wins Honda in playoff; 1st title since 2015, Howell (63) wins in Mexico for 1st title in LIV, Nicklaus: '24 schedule likely to aid Honda field, Siem ends 8-year wait for another Euro Tour title, Vu overcomes 6-shot deficit to win 1st LPGA title, Scheffler repeats at Phoenix Open, back to No. "I mean, I hate them," Hahn said during a phone interview with Golfweek that interrupted his gym workout. Let's get down to the top 10 players to get it done at PGA National: 10 Min Woo Lee OWGR: T-47th, FedEx Cup: --, Min Woo Lee is making his Honda Classic debut this week on a sponsor exemption.. It is time for the first opportunity event of the season. 2. The Spanish player is about to begin his 38th week ranked No. That means a $10 bet returns $65 of profit if the red-hot Spaniard does in fact win the tournament. There havent been any significant modifications to Grand Reserve, a stock par 72 on the coast east of San Juan. Because it can stretch to 7,466 yards and winds often punish, muscle almost always has contributed to the profile of the champion. 2 in the world, will regain the top spot after becoming the seventh player to repeat as champion of the WM Phoenix Open, an event he claimed last year for his first PGA Tour victory. But this trip to Florida will be an interesting challenge for him, as just two of his 22 Top 10s have come here. Just because you know what to do doesnt make it an easy task. Our Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions are focused on Will Zalatoris, who is also among the top choices at +2200. McIlroy (2018) is another former champion of the tournament. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. Daytime temperatures will eclipse 80 degrees and the threat for rain is relegated to a passing shower at worst. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. 16. The good news is that the worst of the wind in early forecasting is moderate and kicking up only on Thursday and Sunday. * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. Like most courses they visit in the Sunshine State, it will present plenty of water hazards throughout, including the famous par-5 sixth hole that features a bold drive over however much water the player thinks he can cut off. 15. HV3 is probably still celebrating his big victory in Saudi Arabia, even after missing the cut in Phoenix. 35 on No. Jason Kokrak (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The Grateful Dead didn't release an album about 2020, but the band . Beyond that, his ball striking isnt reaching the ceilings weve grown to expect from him. The 24-year-old has two-career DP World Tour wins at the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open and the 2021 abrdn Scottish Open. Brett White's wife, Natalie, was emotional watching her husband make his TOUR debut @WMPhoenixOpen. Rory McIlroy : Lets not overreact to a very cold putter from McIlroy in mediocre results at Phoenix and Riviera. Ranking Four World Championship Tournaments, The Aussie and brother to LPGA star Minjee Lee. Sure, its been 10 years since Woods last won at Bay Hill, but he collected eight victories here across 14 editions, including the last two of three consecutive when the course routed as a par 70 through 2009. Over his past six starts, Hoge finished tied for fourth, missed cut, solo second, missed cut, first and a tie for 14th. Lee can wallop the ball. Poston, Thomas Detry, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider. Tom Hoge Szokol opens with 64, up 3 shots in Singapore, More PGA Tour changes: No cuts, smaller fields, Rahm sought Tiger's advice on staying No. 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. Of course, he remains indefinitely beholden to when his extended recovery will allow him to play in accordance with a chosen schedule. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy entered the year ranked 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). The injury is hopefully past him now, and we know Zalatoris is at his best in major-like conditions. pic.twitter.com/xwhDvl8Wrn, "The best bunker shot Jordan has ever hit. He briefly challenged Rahm on Sunday, and he was playing some of the best golf in the world to end his 2022. 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. SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle. 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. The former Wake Forest University star has gained strokes on the greens in all four of his starts in 2023, which is an encouraging trend for a player who had previously struggled with that part of his game. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. No one is exactly sure why, considering Im likes to play -- a lot. After a slow start to the season, the former Florida star is beginning to heat up. 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. Predicting 2023 NFL starting QBs * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. 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. 14. Max Homa : Continued his incredible run in California with a 2nd at Riviera, and its safe to say hes being respected as one of the best in the world at this point. He was just four off the winning pace on a crowded, talented . Many lower-ranked golfers will. 20. But he missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open after hitting consecutive shots into the water on No. It guarantees that someone else will be holding the trophy. Hes also 18th in scrambling (67.86%) and seventh in successfully going for the green (64.81%). Ranks 1st in SG: OTT and 1st in GIRs Gained. Other results in Orlando include T-49th in 2018, T-54th in 2019, T-36th in 2020, and a missed cut in 2021. 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. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. Make no mistake, however, par still remains a terrific score on the course. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images). He has three top-10s in his past four starts at Riviera, where he has never won. As always, Ill prefer distance, but you can get around here in a variety of ways. Rahm is followed by Rory McIlroy (+900), Scottie Scheffler (+1000) and a large group at +2000 that is headlined by Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa. 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. 15 in the second round, which knocked him out for the weekend. Zalatoris didn't play in Phoenix after he was forced to pull out of the AT&T Pebble Pro-Am a week earlier after testing positive for COVID-19. is making his 2023 debut: Scheffler picked up his fifth victory over the past 365 days, but he hasn't been as consistent as Rahm during the past few months. Rahm has been especially hot as of late, which is why he tops the official world golf rankings. 3. Ranks 1st in SG: Par 5, 2nd in SG: APP and 2nd in the model. The goal will be to hit shorter irons into challenging targets with invisible forces poised to smack even properly executed strikes out of the sky. It's officially a designated event in 2023, but you don't need to conceive a visual of the King himself winking, grinning and giving a thumbs-up to approve what we already know, that this. Hell bank 300 FedExCup points and $684,000 of a record prize fund of $3.8 million. As usual, a longshot that makes the top-25 this week is Alex Smalley. All of golfs best players will be in attendance. Szokol opens with 64, up 3 shots in Singapore, More PGA Tour changes: No cuts, smaller fields, Rahm sought Tiger's advice on staying No. Morikawa showed a lot of backbone by finishing third at the Farmers Insurance Open, his first start after blowing a 6-shot lead in the final round of the Tournament of Champions. Some of the top golfers on the PGA Tour have kick-started their careers with wins in Puerto Rico, including Tony Finau in 2016 and Viktor Hovland in 2019. As of Tuesday, five commits are currently exempt into THE PLAYERS, so the PRO also is an opportunity for Nate Lashley, Max McGreevy, Scott Piercy, Austin Smotherman and Nick Watney to sharpen their tools for the PGA TOURs flagship event. He finished second in the Saudi International, 2 shots behind LIV Golf's Abraham Ancer, and collected $525,000. He was also fifth in fewest putts per round (28.14). Just like his new world ranking, the Spaniard cant seem to do anything wrong currently, and hell be looking for his 4th win of the year this week. @StewartCink is already rocking a @KDTrey5 jersey pic.twitter.com/FQLxm4tuo8. Like most Florida courses, its often windy. Scheffler, who entered the week ranked No. Harry Hall Until he showcases his talent outside of Las Vegas, hell remain typecast as a no-brainer to give it a proper run at the Shriners. 3 will tee it up at a place hes won at and has finished worse than 13th just once in eight tries. Trusting that greens will be adjusted accordingly, its a plan that likely will extend into Saturdays third round for which the elements will mimic the opener, albeit with a slight risk of inclement weather. * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COMs Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday. A year ago, Kim was preparing for the Royal's Cup in Thailand on the Asian Tour. Jon Rahm : Rahms numbers in the model this week are just absurd, and hes a runaway No. looped in on merit, so even its reorder at the conclusion of the West Coast Swing had no impact. This years field is as weak as this tournaments seen in years. Because it can stretch to 7,466 yards and winds often punish, muscle almost always has contributed to the profile of the champion. : Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Finishes of 10th and 38th at Bay Hill with elite ball striking. If your first wager is a winner, not only will you receive the profits, but $150 worth of bonus bets will also be yours. Who's on the bubble in men's CBB? Rafael Campos The 34-year-old native of Puerto Rico hasnt been the same since an injured left elbow thwarted his only DNP in tournament history in 2020. Might he get back on track at Riviera? 1 for much of last season, when he won four times, including his first major championship (at the Masters). When asked about being ranked No. The PGA Tour will head north to the east coast of Florida for the PGA Tours biggest event and the largest prize pool for a standard tournament all year. Previous rank: 2 *: Power Rankings (Puerto Rico), Sleepers (API), Payouts and Points (API), Payouts and Points (Puerto Rico), Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Rahm will surely be targeted by plenty of golf pundits in their Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions. The next step in Lees young career is playing well on the PGA Tour. He outlasted a couple of huge longshots in Eric Cole and Ryan Gerard, both of which would have been incredible stories on their own. After pulling out of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (he was the defending champion) because of a back injury, Berger missed the cut at TPC Scottsdale. While hes been a menace at events like the Valspar Championship and Sanderson Farms Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is one hed like to pick off next. Weve seen some tougher courses for Par 5 scoring as of late, but Bay Hill is a place where you really want to get your birdies on those four holes and survive for the rest of the round. Theres usually rain during at least some point in the event and water lurks around many corners. Previous rank: 17 To go forward, we must go back for a moment and tie off a loose end. Previous rank: 3 FREE Picks Contest For the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Win An Amazon Gift Card Instantly! Marc Leishman 1. NHL trade grades: Latest deals Follow your favorite players throughout the 2023 season. 4. Kim backed that win up with consecutive top-25 finishes at the American Express, Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open. Justin Thomas is one to watch this week at the PGA Championship. He lost in a playoff to Homa and finished second in the 2021 Genesis Invitational. 25. It's probably only a matter of time before Burns starts heating up again, after a relatively quiet start to 2023. Chris Kirk lifted his first trophy since 2015 as he completely a lovely comeback story after dealing with alcoholism and depression. Gary Woodland : Woodlands irons have been on fire, so theres definitely some intrigue here after he finished 9th at Riviera and gained 9.7 strokes on approach. On a track that can reach 7,506 yards and with primary rough at a standard two inches in height, shorter hitters are influenced to just play their game, but like all proper tests, Grand Reserve rewards all archetypes. Hes unsurprisingly 1st in High Winds, and some of his recent top finishes came when the going got very tough. 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. Free to enter! After finishing solo fifth at Phoenix, he now has three top-10s and seven top-25s in nine starts this season. 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. *All stats are from a players last 24 rounds. Hes proof of the value of a home game. 19. The first designated event of the PGA Tour season means a $20 million purse, and world No. The weather forecast for the week appears to be warm, dry, and windy, so expect the course to play fiery once again. What weve seen more often that not lately is Bermuda history continues to very relevant on Florida courses. 21. How Arnold Palmers Bay Hill Club & Lodge will present itself, what Mother Nature has planned and more can be found below. 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. Putting can give you some real success at Bay Hill. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are among them, and Scheffler comes in as the defending champion. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only one other player in the past 20 seasons has put together a stretch like that: Tiger Woods. Normally, the winning score is in the low to mid-teens with anything in double digits a great week. Cantlay ranks 127th on tour in shots gained: approach (-.117). He won here in 2020, finished 2nd last year, and added a 4th as a debutant in 2017. In five starts, Burns has made a respectable four cuts, but last years T-9th (72-69-75-71) was his first top-10 at Bay Hill. Former Ryder Cup members Shane Lowry, Alex Noren,. Morikawa is back from the Middle East and is scheduled to play at Riviera Country Club, which will be his first start on the U.S. mainland since a runner-up at The CJ Cup at Summit in mid-October. How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? pic.twitter.com/0TL3TH7DyA, Scottie Scheffler couldn't believe it.Neither could this fan pic.twitter.com/YpzqEDCBkx, What happens when a fan catches your golf ball? Just a friendly reminder that these aren't necessarily the 25 most talented players in the world or the 25 greatest players on tour. Hes never played the Arnold Palmer, but Cantlay has strong results in Florida and enjoys tough conditions.