The PGA Tour’s stop at Bay Hill has typically been an international affair, and that could be the case again when the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational tees off on Thursday, Mar. 3. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods (four times) and Matt Every (twice) are the only Americans to win the event over the past 15 years, with five straight international golfers winning before DeChambeau broke through last year. World No. 1 Jon Rahm of Spain is the 9-1 favorite in the latest 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is the second choice at 12-1. American Scottie Scheffler is priced at 16-1, Norway’s Viktor Hovland is 18-1, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (25-1) and Irishman Matt Fitzpatrick (30-1) also are among the Arnold Palmer Invitational top contenders.
Can Rahm conquer Bay Hill in his first tournament appearance and be a valuable piece in your 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational Fantasy golf picks? Or will another international star like Paul Casey (33-1) put you in a better position to win? Before setting your fantasy golf lineups or making any bets on the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational, be sure to check out the Fantasy golf projections and lineup advice from SportsLine fantasy expert Riley Gates.
Gates is a writer for 247Sports and has covered a range of sports for nearly five years. He has followed golf closely for much longer and has a profound knowledge of the sport. He also knows what it takes to win, on the course and in fantasy sports, and he has been on fire this season.
In his picks for the Honda Classic, eight of his selections finished in the top 16 in a crazy week where four of the top 10 favorites missed the cut. His picks included Shane Lowry, who battled to the finish but came up short as Sepp Straka powered to his first PGA Tour victory.
“Lowry is going to come into this one overlooked, having not played on tour since November,” Gates said, but he “is playing good golf and is more than capable of doing it this weekend.” Lowry certainly did that, playing bogey-free for the final 29 holes but was done in by a driving rain on 18 and finished a shot back.
Gates also was on the money at the WM Phoenix Open, where nine of Gates’ fantasy picks finished in the top 14, and his top five all posted top-10 finishes. He also nailed his picks at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, with four of his top seven picks posting top-five finishes. And at the Hero World Challenge, again four of his top seven finished in the top five. Anyone who has followed Gates is way up.
Now, Gates has ranked his top 20 golfers for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. You can only see his fantasy golf rankings and Arnold Palmer Invitational picks at SportsLine.
2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational Fantasy golf expert picks
One player Gates is really high on this week is Matsuyama, who is almost an afterthought behind the higher-ranked players. But the Japanese star already has two victories this season and ranks 11th in the world. He has four top-10 finishes in nine starts this season and has shot over 70 just once in his past eight rounds. A T-39 at Pebble Beach drove up his odds, but he is averaging 4.86 birdies per round (18th on tour) and hits more than 73 percent of his greens (19th). He is one of just 24 players with a scoring average under 70 so far this season.
On the other hand, in a shocking development, the expert is fading tournament favorite Rahm. The Spaniard has never played Bay Hill before, typically resting up for the Players, and while his power and accuracy should play well there, he isn’t certain to dominate. Rahm tied for 21st at the Genesis two weeks ago and missed the cut at the Fortinet, so he’s not invincible. He also has not been especially strong around or on the greens this season. He is 88th in strokes gained putting, 177th on putts inside 10 feet, and 174th in strokes gained around the greens.
How to set your 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational Fantasy golf rankings
For this week at Bay Hill, the fantasy expert is backing a long shot who is listed at around 40-1. Gates says this player is “playing some of the best golf of his career,” and the expert is stunned his odds aren’t lower. He sees this golfer as a must-play in your Arnold Palmer fantasy golf picks. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Gates’ top Honda Classic fantasy golf picks at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational this week? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your Fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Riley Gates’ Fantasy golf rankings for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational, all from the fantasy expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.