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We’re in the middle of the Florida swing and the PGA Tour will make its next stop in Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This week a few of the big-ticket golfers are taking the week off but it’s still a talent-laden field and you’ll want to focus upon great ball strikers, particularly good APP players. We will have a ton of content coming up on our site, and of course, tonight on the Win Daily PGA Livestream at 8:00 EST (airing on our Win Daily Sports YouTube channel and @windailysports on Twitter). Now let’s get to the Arnold Palmer Invitational: Initial Picks.
Viktor Hovland (10600) – There’s really no need for me to convince you on this one. He’s so good in the ball striking department and the short game is there. At some point he’s not going to have a great tournament and it’s up to you to decide if you’re willing to take that chance this week.
Tyrrell Hatton (10000) – I liked him last week and I like him again this week. His ball striking is elite and if it wasn’t for his ARG game last week he would have been in much better shape. Reigning champ at the API.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (9800) – There’s nothing about his game that makes him elite, but I think Fitz will do just fine in this field due to his great all around game and his ability to play in potential tough conditions. Last two finishes here he’s been 9th and 2nd.
Sungjae Im (9700) – Plays great in Florida as evidenced by his great track record here (back to back 3rd place finishes). His APP numbers haven’t been elite since the start of the calendar year but I expect that to bounce back this week. He should gain in all other SG categories with ease this week.
Paul Casey (9100) – A great ball striker who also rates out well with the long irons. Has played well overseas this year and has played well on the PGA Tour thus far. Casey is never a sure thing but he’s probably a bit underpriced here.
Talor Gooch (7900) – He can be hit or miss and maybe priced a bit high but I like his comfort level here with a 13th and 26th the only two times he’s played here. As of late he’s picked up the iron play and recent form has also been good with the long iron play, which he’ll need here.
Charley Hoffman (7600) – I almost never write this guy up, but back in the day he was always good for some 1st Round Leader pizza money. Earlier this year he had a troubling stretch with a couple WDs and an MC, but since that time has made two cuts in a row including a 7th at AT&T. What really strikes me are his finishing positions at API (13th, MC, 14th and 2nd over the last four years).
Emiliano Grillo (7400) – We’re looking for great ball strikers who are also good with the APP game in particular and Grillo fits the mold. His putting is a huge question mark but I’m willing to look past it for Grillo (I’ll note that I’ll likely roster some Byeong Hun An as well who is also a great ball striker with poor putting).
Henrik Norlander (7200) – Ownership should be relatively low thanks to an MC last time out and an MC the only time he played API. Norlander has flashed some upside this year and I think is undervalued by at least a few hundred DK dollars. The ball striking is typically very good and he’ll need the putter to be decent to pay off.
Luke List (7200) – Coming off an MC at Genesis, but has great course history with 10th, 7th and 17th the only three times here. His ball striking this calendar year has been very good and has plenty of upside.
Matthew NeSmith (6900) – An MC his only time at the API but the ball striking has been excellent and I think NeSmith is undervalued at this price.
Cameron Percy (6500) – This recent Win Daily Secret Weapon had a nice week in Puerto Rico last week and continues to strike the ball well. His metrics on APP are particularly good and I think he’s steady enough to make the cut and slowly climb the middle section of the leaderboard over the weekend.
Tom Hoge (6500) – A handful of missed cuts earlier this year had things looking bleak for Hoge, but he’s made two cuts in a row and that included a 12th at the AT&T. He’s played here twice and finished well inside the Top 30 both times. Pretty decent floor considering the price range.
Thanks for reading my Arnold Palmer Invitational: Initial Picks. See you tonight on the PGA Livestream and if you’re not already signed up for one of our memberships get to windailysports.com and sign up! See you tonight and see you in Discord.
