This week the PGA Tour heads to the Bay Hill Club and Lodge for your Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS contests. We are in for another difficult test for the best golfers in the world. A staple of the Florida Swing, this event is known for extremely high scores, elite field, and its trouble at every turn.
We have what I would call a near-elite field this week, as only 5 of the top 10 players in the world teeing it up. World number 1 Jon Rahm, is making his first appearance at this event, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Viktor Hovland, and past champion Rory Mcilroy are also in the field.
This is a test of golf that has shown the winning recipe for success here is heavily influenced by par 5 scoring, long iron play, and the ability to scramble. Before we go any further let’s dive into the course.
Arnold Palmer Invitational DraftKings: Best Golf DFS Plays in Each Price Range
Bay Hill Club and Lodge Course Specs:
- Par: 72
- Yardage: 7,466 (4 Par 3’s, 10 Par 4’s. 4 Par 5’s)
- Greens: Bermuda (firm and fast)
- Architect: Dick Wilson (Renovation by Arnold Palmer)
- Average Winning Score L5: -11
Key Stats:
- SG: OTT
- Par 5 Scoring
- SG : ARG
- SG: P (Fast Bermuda)
- Proximity 200+
- SG: APP
- Bogey Avoidance
- Opportunities Gained
- Driving Distance
In short, I’m looking for elite drivers of the golf ball, excellent par 5 scorers, great proximity with long irons, and good course history this week for our Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS lineups.
10,000+ Range
Rory Mcllroy $11,100
To start my lineups this week in DFS I am going to go with the 2018 Champion of this event, Rory Mcllroy. It is really no surprise that Rory has dominated Bay Hill over the year, he is one of the best drivers on tour in both accuracy and distance, can dominate par 5’s, and is a good long iron player.
In his 8 starts at this event, the Irishman has a win, 5 top 11 finishes, and a 27th place finish. It’s really hard to find better course history at this event. Rory ranks 3rd in my model, as he ranks 9th in opportunities gained, 13th in SG: OTT, and 21st in par 5 scoring.
9,000 Range
Matt Fitzpatrick $9,200
I wrote up and guaranteed a victory from Fitz at Genesis where he ultimately withdrew due to a stomach bug, but make no mistake Fitz is winning this week. I seriously do not know if there is a better course on tour for this golfer than Bay Hill.
Fitzpatrick ranks second (!!) in this field in par 5 scoring, his best putting surface is Bermuda, he has an elite short game AND he has great course history here. Runner up in 2019, he posted top 10 finishes in his last two years at this event. He has on average gained 4 strokes putting at this event, and is playing some great golf. I have no doubt his ownership will be high, but it will be worth it in your Arnold Palmer Invitational DraftKings lineups this week.
8,000 Range
Max Homa $8,700
I am going to be playing my good friend Max Homa this week in DFS. Any time a course has shown that Par 5 scoring matters a lot, I am going to play Max Homa. Coming off an excellent California swing, with finishes of 10th and 14th in his last two starts, I like his recent form.
Max is also someone that can bomb it off the tee, this is very evident at WMPO where he gained 5 strokes OTT and hit some massive drives. Max also has shown that he can finish well at Bay Hill. Homa has finished 10th and 24th in his only two appearances here. What I also like about Homa is that he has proven he can putt on these fast Bermuda greens. Max gained 7.9 (!!!) strokes putting here last year. Mix that in with his excellent OTT game and Max is an excellent Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS play this week.
7,000 Range
Maverick McNealy $7,800
This course should realistically fit Mav’s game well this week, and I am going to take a chance on him at low ownership this week. Highlighted by his strong par 5 scoring, ranking 8th in this field over the past 50 rounds. McNealy is also excellent with his long irons, ranking 7th in this field in proximity over 200 yards.
There are a lot of great plays in the 7K range this week for DFS, but I think now that we are out of California his ownership is going to be low, which creates a lot of leverage for us.
6,000 Range
Andrew Putnam $6,900
I think Putnam is a great addition to any DFS lineups this week. Coming off an impressive performance at Pebble Beach where he finished in 6th place after being in contention all week, I see more of the same here.
Putnam has been playing some impressive golf since the start of 2022, only missing one cut in five starts. I main reason I like Putnam this week is that he has shown that he can be in the mix at API. Andrew finished 4th at this event last year in only his second appearance. For all these reasons I like Putnam in DFS this week.
Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS Optimal Lineup
Rory Mcilroy $11,100
Matt Fitzpatrick $9,200
Max Homa $8,700
Maverick McNealy $7,800
Andrew Putnam $6,900
Danny Lee $6,300
