The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of the best events on the PGA TOUR and there is a great field ready to go to battle. This is a look at the best first round leader bet to make at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Arnold Palmer Invitational
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is played at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Bay Hill, Florida. Bay Hill is a Dick Wilson-designed par 72 golf course and ranges 7,466 yards. This is a signature event and there is a 72-player field. The top 50 players plus ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the leader will make the cut after Friday’s round. The greens are Bermudagrass and the course usually plays tough, but it gets very intense when winds are strong. This is the first time this season that the top three players in the world, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, will all be competing in the same field. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion of the event.
Here is a look at my pick to lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational:
Tommy Fleetwood FRL (+4000)
Tommy Fleetwood is one of the most curious players on the PGA TOUR. He is immensely talented and currently ranks 10th in the OWGR. He has been one of the most competitive players on the PGA TOUR for the past few years, has had great success on Ryder Cup teams and is a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour. However, he has still never won a PGA TOUR event. There has always been a disconnect where Fleetwood cannot string together four great rounds and outlast the best players on the PGA TOUR, despite consistently playing great golf. That is why I am choosing to back Fleetwood to lead after the first round rather than win the event.
Fleetwood has only played in two events this season but most recently finished T-5 at the Genesis Invitational. In eight career starts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Fleetwood has finishes of T-20, T-10, T-10 and T-3. That is a great track record at this difficult course. Fleetwood has a lot of the traits necessary to succeed at Bay Hill. Last season, Fleetwood ranked seventh on Tour in total driving, seventh in scrambling and second in scrambling from the rough. Fleetwood was fifth in the field at the Genesis Invitational in strokes gained on approach. Tommy Fleetwood has no fear about facing the top players in the world and if he is on his A-game, he can easily jump out to a first round lead at Bay Hill.
