There was a time not long ago when the Arnold Palmer Invitational was struggling to draw truly elite fields. 

A sense of responsibility to honor Palmer’s legacy at his cherished Bay Hill Club wasn’t always enough to draw all the A-listers to central Orlando to play a tough course that didn’t always provide all the modern amenities some Tour pros have come to expect. 

Those days are over. 

This is now an elevated event in a great spot on the schedule, one week ahead of the Players Championship in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, the purse is up to $20 million and the winner will take home $3.6 million to go with that new red cardigan. 

Now it’s one of the most electric daily fantasy sports and golf betting weeks on the schedule, with more than 40 of the top 50 players in the world teeing it up at Bay Hill. 

And it’s one of the most important remaining tune-ups for golf’s elite looking to get things dialed in tight with the Masters just six weeks away. 

Last Week: Chris Kirk outlasted journeyman Eric Cole in a playoff to win the Honda Classic and capture his first Tour victory since 2015. Kirk was one of the top-priced players at $9,900 on DraftKings, while Cole was an absolute steal at $6,900. 

The action was back-and-forth throughout the final round, with Kirk letting his two-stroke, 54-hole lead slip away before prevailing in extras. The biggest names in the game weren’t around at PGA National, but we got a thrilling DFS finish regardless. 

2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Course Location: Orlando, Florida

Bay Hill Club & Lodge: 7,466 yards, Par 72. Greens: Bermuda

Past Winners

• 2022 – Scottie Scheffler, 283 (-5)
• 2021 – Bryson DeChambeau, 277 (-11)
• 2020 – Tyrrell Hatton, 284 (-4)
• 2019 – Francesco Molinari, 276 (-12)
• 2018 – Rory McIlroy, 270 (-18)
• 2017 – Marc Leishman, 277 (-11)
• 2016 – Jason Day, 271 (-17)
• 2015 – Matt Every, 269 (-19)
• 2014 – Matt Every, 275 (-13)
• 2013 – Tiger Woods, 275 (-13)

2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS Picks By Price

11K-9K Range: Best DFS Picks for Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rory McIlroy, $10,600: We’re not concerned about a relatively slow start for McIlroy on Tour this season. He still has two wins in his last five events, and he’s hitting it great throughout the bag. 

The putter was the only thing holding him back during a T-32 in Phoenix and T-29 at the Genesis Invitational. But he’s always been a strong putter on Bermuda grass and he always shows up at Bay Hill. 

He’s finished T-27 or better in all eight Arnold Palmer starts, and he’s been top 10 five times – including a win in 2018. It sounds like conditions will be quite difficult this week, and no one is better equipped to handle it at this course. We like McIlroy to win this week, so he takes top spot in the lineup.  

Patrick Cantlay, $9,100: Cantlay doesn’t have any course experience here, which isn’t ideal. But he’s still the No. 4 player in the world for a reason and we like him a lot at this price. Bay Hill is a true all-around test, and that’ll be the case even more this week. 

It’s long, the rough is thick, temps will be high and there’s trouble everywhere. Cantlay has the type of consistent all-around game that should translate very well here. He was solo third his last time out at the Genesis Invitational and we’re expecting a big Florida swing from Cantlay starting in Orlando. 

9K-8K Range: Best DFS Picks for Arnold Palmer Invitational

Cameron Young, $8,700: Young’s results haven’t been quite as spectacular so far this season, but the game is still in a great place. The second-year Tour player has made 13 consecutive cuts and logged a solo second at the Saudi International last month. 

He didn’t get a ton out of four rounds at Riviera but still finished T-20 at the Genesis. His iron play and driving distance give him a big advantage around Bay Hill, where Young finished T-13 last year in his Arnold Palmer Invitational debut. The winning score was 5-under par in 2022 and conditions should be very similar this year, perhaps even more difficult. We like Young in this range.

Jason Day, $8,500: It’s been five years since Day won a tournament, but the 35-year-old seems to be getting real close. He logged three straight top 10s at Torrey Pines, TPC Scottsdale and Riviera, and he’s been T-21 or better in eight of his last nine starts. 

He’s also a past champion at Bay Hill and he needs to keep playing well to avoid missing out on the Masters for a second straight year. It seems like Day is healthier than he’s been in a while and there’s no reason not to trust him with the game in its current state.

8K-7K Range: Best DFS Picks for Arnold Palmer Invitational

Corey Conners, $7,800: Conners hasn’t contended in quite a while, so there hasn’t been much buzz. But he’s ripped off eight consecutive cuts made and began the year with a streak of six straight top-25 finishes. 

Conners’ iron game will make up for his lack of distance around Bay Hill, where the Canadian finished T-11 in 2022 and solo third in 2021. If the putter gets going, Conners could make a serious charge. We like him to provide a valuable return at this price.

Adam Hadwin, $7,500: Hadwin missed the cut here in 2021, but he’d been T-36 or better in three prior starts and finished solo sixth in 2017. He’s also currently on a great run of 13 consecutive cuts made, including four top 10s in his last eight starts. 

The short game was off for a 66^th-place finish at the Genesis, but the 35-year-old Canadian tends to play his best golf in Florida. He also has an excellent temperament and stays patient, which will be huge this week as the wind blows and things get seriously grind-y. 

7K and Below: Best DFS Picks for Arnold Palmer Invitational

Justin Suh, $6,900: We put Suh in the lineup last week at $7,600, and he rewarded us with a T-5 finish. He fell out of contention on the back nine Sunday, but the 25-year-old hit it beautifully all week and that will serve him very well in Orlando. 

Suh missed the cut here in his only prior start as a 21-year-old amateur, but he’s starting to figure things out on the PGA Tour and coming off a spectacular week. We like him to keep that momentum going at Bay Hill. 

Garrick Higgo, $6,600: Higgo is coming off a solid T-29 at the Honda, and the 23-year-old has made the cut four times in his last five starts. He missed the weekend last year at Bay Hill but the game was in really bad shape at the time. 

Now things are coming into form throughout the bag and Higgo is very dangerous when the irons and flat stick are cooking at the same time.  

2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Date & TV

When: Thursday-Sunday, March 2-5

Where: Bay Hill, Orlando, Florida

TV: Golf Channel, NBC