Arnold Palmer Invitational 2025 Golf Betting Preview, Odds, Picks And Props

Posted by author March 3, 2025 Golf

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Scottie Scheffler of The United States celebrates holing a putt for birdie on the 15th hole during … [+] the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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Golf in March begins with two huge PGA Tour events starting with the $20 million Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) followed by the $25 million Players Championship. The King’s tournament at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando is a legacy Signature Event with a $20 million prize pool and $4 million awarded to the winner from a limited field of 72 golfers. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, and he headlines 38 of the top 40 players in the world rankings.

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Bay Hill Club and Lodge
7,466-yards, Par 72 (36-hole cut)
March 6 -9, Orlando, Florida

The prohibitive favorites Scottie Scheffler (2024, 2022) and Rory McIlroy (2018) rank No. 1 and No. 3 in the world, and both are past winners at Arnie’s Place at Bay Hill in Orlando. The API also marks the return of world No. 2 Xander Schauffele, who has been recovering from a rib injury and hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since the season-opening Sentry in early January.

Sunday’s Cognizant Classic longshot winner Joe Highsmith has moved into the API field following his first PGA Tour victory while earning entry into the remaining four 2025 Signature Events, Players Championship and The Masters.

Golf Odds to Win The Arnold Palmer Invitational

Golf odds from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on futures, props and live betting. API golf odds updated Monday as provided by sportsbooks, and adjust during and following each round. Additional finishing position odds and tournament matchups available Tuesday-Wednesday.

Notable players from the 72-player field and golfers to watch as odds are released include 2-time API event winner Scottie Scheffler (2024, 2022) and Rory McIlroy (2018) along with Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Ludvig Aberg, No. 5 Collin Morikawa and top-10 ranked golfers and contenders Hideki Matsuyama, Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood.

Scottie Scheffler
Rory McIlroy
Ludvig Aberg
Xander Schauffele
Collin Morikawa
Justin Thomas
Hideki Matsuyama
Tommy Fleetwood
Wyndham Clark

72-Hole Winning Score: Over/Under TBD (Par 72)

While Scheffler has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational two of the past three years, McIlroy’s impressive performances at the API include a win with five top-5 finishes plus two other top-11 finishes since 2015. Jason Day (2016) is the other past champion in the field, but 2023 winner Kurt Kitayama is not having falling to No. 89 in the world rankings from No. 71 to start the year.

Also missing this week and not receiving sponsors excemptions are popular players Jordan Spieth (No. 64) and Rickie Fowler (No. 94). Spieth finished T9 in the Cognizant Classic to come up just short of qualifying for the API. Jake Knapp, who shot 59 Thursday, finished T6 to fall 1-stroke short of making it to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Last year’s top-12 finishers in the API and playing this week include Scheffler (win), Clark (2), Lowry (3), Zalatoris (T4), Henley (T4), Theegala (T6), Homa (T8), BH An (T8), Thomas (T12), Matsuyama (T12), Harman (T12), Hoge (T12), N. Taylor (T12).

Players in the field this week who have multiple top-10 finishes at the API over the last five years include Scheffler, McIlroy, Hovland, Zalatoris, Bradley, English, Kirk, Homa and Fitzpatrick.

Also, seven of the past eight API winners posted a top-15 finish at this event before picking up their win. Kurt Kitayama won on debut in 2023 while leading the field in Greens in Regulation (70.8%) and 3rd in Putting. Notable players who have not finished top-15 in the API at Bay Hill include Schauffele, Aberg, Finau, Straka and Tom Kim.

Types Of Bets And Wagering Terms

Top online sportsbook and Panama-based BetOnline has been a market leader in providing more betting options for fans. That’s especially the case for people in the most populated states that currently don’t offer betting at U.S. sportsbooks – California, Texas and Florida, where some of golf’s biggest events are played this month including the Arnold Palmer Invitational and next week’s Players Championship.

Bay Hill Club

Oversized Bermuda greens, thicker ryegrass rough and more than 80 sand bunkers and water on nine holes make Bay Hill more challenging, especially if the wind blows as it did in the 2020 and 2022 events. Missing fairway’s off the tee is more penal at Bay Hill. Since McIlroy won Arnie’s event at Bay Hill in 2018 with a 270 score of 18-under par, the winning scores have been -12, -4, -11, -5, -9 and Scheffler’s 5-stroke win last year at -15 under par – the largest margin of victory in the event since Tiger Woods won in 2012. Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational a record eight times, but will not play this week despite the PGA Tour granting him a lifetime exemption to compete in all future PGA Tour signature events.

Strokes Gained Approach has been 2-times more influential on the top-5 finishers than SG Off the Tee, and 3-times more inpactful than Around the Green, according to Mayo Media Network research and tournament preview. Historically, 30% of approach shots in the API come from 200+ yards – one of the largest distributions from that distance on Tour, and all four par 3’s are 200+ yards. Approx. 70% of approach shots are from 150+ yards, and despite top-5 largest greens on Tour at Bay Hill, Greens in Regulation has not reached 60% in any of the last five events. Short Game and Around the Green play are still significant with more missed greens, and the course fit tool at Data Golf confirms the key stats of Approach and Driving Distance with Par 5 scoring significant on the four easiest scoring holes at Bay Hill.

Golf Picks, Props and Stats

Golf picks are updated weekly Tuesday and Wednesday as selected golf analysts, handicappers and noted golf media provide contributors picks to win, props and additional information you can bet on.

Tournament Matchups

Matchup offerings and odds vary from top online sportsbooks, and are updated here Tuesday and Wednesday along with any select picks, which went 2-0 in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with tournament winner Rory McIlroy over Scottie Scheffler. Phoenix Open followers of FairwayJay and Forbes went 1-0 with T6 finish by Justin Thomas over Hideki Matsuyama and 1-0 in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld while passing last week at the Cognizant Classic.

Tournament attendees and sports fans in Florida are not able to bet at U.S. Sportsbooks, but top online sportsbooks like BetOnline and the biggest and best sportsbooks in Las Vegas provide fans more great watch and wager options.

Featured Groups

Arnold Palmer Invitational tee times, featured groups and TV schedule updated as provided by the PGA Tour Tuesday and Wednesday. All times Eastern (ET).

Since 2017 the Arnold Palmer Invitational has awarded the winner a red cardigan sweater in honor of the legend and tournament host, who passed away in 2017.

Check out more golf stats and coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational along with the Puerto Rico Open this week as the PGA Tour provides more desired destinations for fans to enjoy more than just golf. Also, check out how golf courses are leading the way in technology and sustainability, and the top online sportsbooks are leading the way in wagering options as betting on golf continues to be most popular with fans firing for more fairways and greens.

You can bet on it.