Tony Finau kept up his superb form at Torrey Pines to score me some each-way pennies at the Genesis Invitational, making birdie on each of the last two holes to come in a tie for fifth.
The towering American will be in the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week which, in my humble opinion, truly kicks off the countdown to the Masters. The late, great King of Bay Hill won the Masters four times, so it is even more impossible for the players not to view their performances in the context of the Masters with this sentiment.
Scottie Scheffler won this event for the second time in 2024, completely dominating the famous venue and winning by five shots from Wyndham Clark who came second to Scheffler again at the Players Championship in the following week.
This is another Signature Event with $20 million up for grabs. The winner will bank $4 million and to the relief of many, there will also be a 36-hole cut. This is one of three Signature Events, of which there are eight in total, where there is a 36-hole cut.
We haven’t landed a winner yet this season, but we’ve hit the bar on the PGA Tour and with LIV Golf too. Let’s dive into Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets for 2025.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets
Venue: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Florida, USA
Date: March 6-9, 2025
Course stats: Par 72; 7,466 yards
Course summary: This iconic venue is a traditionally tough parkland test, requiring accurate ball striking and solid putting. The course offers many defences, including lots of water and heavy bunkering. Strong play from tee to green is important here with dogleg holes to navigate, while long par-3s and reachable par-5s are sure to inject drama.
Purse: $20 million
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler (-15)
ALSO: How much? Here’s the Arnold Palmer Invitational prize money in 2025
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Scottie Scheffler @ 7/2
Scottie Scheffler likes winning Signature Events and he likes winning them at this stage of the season. He is a two-time winner at Bay Hill in the last three years. We don’t learn a whole lot new about Scottie every week as he is just so consistent.
He has only played in three events in 2024. He came tied for ninth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, tied for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open and tied for third at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. He came in the top 10 at Pebble despite gaining negative strokes around the green and he gained less than half a shot off the tee at Torrey.
There is still a margin for improvement for the World No.1 who will also have his sights on the Masters. He is the defending champion here, at the Players Championship next week and at Augusta National. This time of the year is where he has swept up before.
7/2 is obviously a very short price in a sport with unpredictability around every corner. But with each towering iron shot, chip-in and birdie, Scheffler’s game has become very predictable and this is why it’s so hard to ignore him in the market.
Russell Henley @ 55/1
Russell Henley does a lot right and he plays a lot of golf. He’s made five appearances already this season and he top-fived at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am, as well as coming tied for sixth at PGA National last week.
His driving distance and strokes gained off the tee leave a lot to be desired, but he is in the top 10 of driving accuracy, which is crucial around Bay Hill which can be punishing. He’s in the top 20 of strokes gained in putting and strokes gained in total, so he has been one of the top players in 2025.
His record at Bay Hill is mixed with just two top-15s in eight starts, but he came tied for fourth last year. He gained over 1.5 shots in putting at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year, which is clearly a strength of his game. Henley’s overall excellence across the last 12 months rewarded him with a first Presidents Cup start in 2024.
Henley is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour but not since 2022. So, he doesn’t do a lot of winning and hasn’t done for three years, but the American is mentioned in many betting columns each week and it is because he has emerged as a top player on the PGA Tour and not too irregularly at the majors.
ALSO: Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview 2025
Akshay Bhatia @ 70/1
Akshay Bhatia will be going to the Arnold Palmer Invitational as a tournament rookie and with fresh eyes on the golf course. You might bemoan his lack of experience in this case, but I believe these things can work both ways.
Like Henley, Bhatia has been active on the PGA Tour in 2025 and his last two appearances have left much to be encouraged about. He came tied for ninth at the Genesis Invitational and tied for ninth at the Mexico Open. In both instances, his putting and approach play were statistically solid.
So far this season, Bhatia has shown good numbers. He is 12th in strokes gained in putting, 24th in driving accuracy and 25th in strokes gained overall. Bhatia is emerging as one of the most exciting young talents on the PGA Tour.
He knows how to win at this time of the season too. He won the Valero Texas Open in 2024 which earned him a spot at the Masters in the following week, so don’t be surprised if Bhatia starts to hit form in the lead-up to the first major of the year.
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Thomas Detry @ 90/1
Thomas Detry announced himself on the PGA Tour by absolutely putting away the opposition at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. This confirmed what many thought about Detry’s credentials after making four top 10s and a runner-up finish in 2024.
You’d imagine he won’t stop there. Obviously, 90/1 is a huge price and you couldn’t expect another performance like that, but he won’t be thinking that. The Belgian is ranked 14th in strokes gained in putting, 16th in strokes gained off the tee and 29th in total strokes gained.
He has made one appearance at Bay Hill and that was in 2023 when he came tied for 24th, seven shots behind the winner Kurt Kitayama. Admittedly, there isn’t a lot to go on and this is a stronger field than what he faced at the WM Phoenix Open where he won.
We should remember this is a Ryder Cup year. Detry is plying his trade in the tournaments where the most qualification points are up for grabs and there will no doubt be players like him who break from the pack and make the Ryder Cup team in September this year. Detry has leading claims to be one of those players.
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What do you make of our Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets list? Who would you add to our Arnold Palmer Invitational Best Bets list? Tell us on X!
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