3 months agoIt's hard to quantify just what went wrong last week for Eric Cole at PGA National, as the former Honda Classic runner-up carded an opening 78 around a relatively benign layout in Palm Beach Gardens. His last-place position on the Thursday leaderboard came as a shock to many of us in the golf industry, as PGA National's strategic layout seemed to fit Cole's precision-based playstyle to a tee. This week, however, expectations will be completely off of the 2023 Rookie of the Year as Eric Cole makes his second-ever trek to Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill. His last competitive round here was in last year's Invitational, where Cole carded an 80 to finish five shots off of the cutline. Given his stellar run of play over the last 12 months, we remain bullish on Cole's long-term outlook, but Bay Hill's daunting layout doesn't exactly present an ideal get-right spot for a struggling player.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months ago2023 was a year of firsts for the 37-year-old Brian Harman, as his triumph at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool saw the Georgian reach his best-ever world ranking of eighth and receive his first invite to represent the United States Ryder Cup team. 2024 has not been quite as kind through two months, however, as Harman recorded finishes of 54th, 60th, and 44th at three of the West Coast's marquee venues (Pebble Beach, TPC Scottsdale, and Riviera). A trip back to familiar territory in the southeast might be the perfect tonic for the resident of Sea Island, Georgia, but at least historically, Bay Hill has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Harman. In 10 starts around Arnie's Place, Harman has missed the cut on six occasions and finished inside the top 20 just three times. Bay Hill's immense length wouldn't seem to suit Harman's precision-based game, but it's hard to completely write off golf's most recent major champion, especially where he's currently sitting at 200-1 on odds boards.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3
months
agoAlthough
a
Sunday
70
saw
the
Frenchman
fall
nearly
20
spots
on
the
final
leaderboard,
Matthieu
Pavon's
debut
in
the
Sunshine
State
was
far
from
a
fruitless
endeavor.
Pavon
spent
most
of
the
week
sitting
inside
the
top
15
and
continued
a
stellar
combination
of
precise
ball-striking
and
read more...
3 months ago2024 has provided Tom Kim with a mixed bag through the first two months of the campaign, as the 21-year-old star has seen his three consecutive top-35 finishes at marquee events in Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and Monterrey bookended with a missed cut at the American Express and a 62nd place finish last week around PGA National. Since ending his 2023 season on a torrid run of form, the all-around game has yet to show much sustainability to this point in the New Year, and Bay Hill's demanding routing will certainly put its fair share of strain on anyone coming in without their full arsenal. Kim did record a fairly successful debut here last season: finishing in a tie for 34th while gaining 4.1 strokes with his ball-striking, but he'll have to get his game squared away in a hurry if he hopes to improve upon that result in an elevated field this week.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoJ.T. Poston was a bit of a disappointment for fantasy managers last week. The eight-year pro and current OWGR No. 40 survived the cut at the notoriously difficult PGA National but failed to make moves over the weekend en route to a 66th-place finish. Prior to that event, Poston was on a tear to start the season, with six top-25 finishes in his first eight starts. Looking at the data, all signs point to a great week ahead at Bay Hill. Poston enters the week ranking 33rd in fairways gained, 28th on approach, seventh in greens-in-regulation percentage, sixth in scrambling, fourth in both opportunities gained and birdie-or-better percentage, 13th in Bermuda putting, seventh in par 5 scoring, and 14th on par 3 holes longer than 200 yards. Considering this, fantasy managers should strongly consider taking advantage of the DraftKings misprice at a mere $7,900 to go along with sub-10% projected ownership.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoJason Day could be in store for another big week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Australian star is off to an excellent start in the 2024 calendar year, as he's made the cut in four out of five starts with three top-10 finishes to his name. The current OWGR No. 19 also has elite course history at Bay Hill, having posted five top-10 finishes in his eight career starts here, including an outright victory in 2016. And while he does rank outside of the top-60 in the field in overall approach, opportunities gained and birdie-or-better percentage, he's sixth in strokes gained on difficult courses, ninth around-the-green, and 17th in Bermuda putting. Day's recent form, course history, and tidy short game make him an appealing option for fantasy managers seeking golfers with top-20 upside and win equity.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3
months
agoBen
An
is
arguably
in
the
midst
of
his
best
stretch
of
golf
since
joining
the
PGA
Tour
in
2016.
The
32-year-old
South
Korean
is
coming
into
the
Arnold
Palmer
Invitational
on
the
heels
of
twelve-straight
made
cuts,
during
which
time
he
has
finished
inside
of
the
top-25
read more...
3 months agoThanks to a hot start to the 2023-2024 Tour season, Keegan Bradley has climbed all the way up to OWGR No. 15. The 37-year-old Tour veteran has racked up four top-20 finishes in just seven starts, including a T2 result at the Sony Open in January. And while he has been streaky on the greens, he has gained strokes from tee-to-green in five straight starts, a crucial category that should serve him well at the difficult test awaiting at Bay Hill. Bradley is likely licking his chops to tee off on Thursday, as he's piled up finishes of T10, T11, and T10 in his last three starts here. Amazingly, he's gained at least over three strokes from tee-to-green at this course in eight consecutive years. Bradley will likely be a popular selection for fantasy managers this week, but those choosing to roster him may be handsomely rewarded with another top-tier performance. In a season that has proven anything can happen, Bradley may even be an enticing choice for one-and-done participants and outright betters at his current +8000 odds.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3
months
agoTom
Hoge
has
put
together
a
string
of
great
performances
in
the
2024
calendar
year
and
finds
himself
currently
sitting
at
14th
place
in
the
FedExCup
standings.
The
34-year-old
TCU
alum
enters
Bay
Hill
on
the
heels
of
six-straight
made
cuts,
including
two
top-10
finishes
in
his
last
read more...
3 months agoFor the first time in his short PGA Tour career, Ludvig Aberg returns to a course where he's played in a tour event before. Aberg played the 2023 API as an amateur and managed a T24 finish. Aberg has become an even better player since that event and has the exact skill set required for success on this course. Elite ball strikers like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler thrive at Bay Hill and Aberg is trending toward that tier of player early in his career.
--Rob RoseSource: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoIt has been a slow and underwhelming start to the season for Rickie Fowler. However, the Tour schedule coming up gives him the best chance to turn it around, as he is notorious for his successful play in the southeast part of the country. However, the reality of playing well starting at Bay Hill has been spotty, at best. The Oklahoma State alum only has one top-five finish to his name at Arnie's place, which was back in 2013. Most of his solid performances since have been on the back burner of solid play coming in, something Fowler isn't currently doing. He is outside of the top 100 in every strokes-gained statistic, though his putting is the most concerning. Fowler has improved from the abysmal minus-5.61 strokes lost putting that we saw at the AMEX, but it hasn't turned around enough to suggest him for fantasy lineups at $8,800 on FanDuel. There are certainly more appealing options.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoOnly Scottie Scheffler has been better tee to green than Xander Schauffele this season. Also like Scheffler, Schauffele has struggled with his putter despite four top-10 finishes in five 2024 starts. Schauffele ranks No. 126 in putting on the PGA Tour but in two trips to Bay Hill, he's been much better. Schauffele has two average finishes in two trips but has gained strokes on the greens both times. With how well he's hitting the ball a positive week with the putter could equal a win.
--Rob RoseSource: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoThe defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, is coming into the week in weird form. On one hand, he has shown some of the best iron play we've seen from anyone all season (currently 20th in strokes gained on approach at .625), but on the other hand, his putting has been horrific (currently 118th in strokes gained putting at minus-.129). The disconnect between the two has primarily resulted in mediocre finishes through his first five events. And with a price tag of $9,600, it will take much more consistent play from top to bottom to recommend Kitayama for most DFS lineups.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoEven though T19 is well below what's expected of Viktor Hovland, his latest finish showed the reigning PGA Tour champ could have found something. Hovland's struggles on approach this season have been shocking since he's one of the world's best ball strikers. After taking time off following a T58 at Pebble Beach, Hovland gained strokes at Genesis. Bay Hill requires elite ball-striking skills and Hovland has the game and course history (T2 and T10) to contend.
--Rob RoseSource: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoJake Knapp has been a PGA Tour golden boy since winning the Mexico Open a couple of weeks ago. However, his first test against all of the upper-echelon players the tour has to offer comes this week at Bay Hill. The Korn Ferry Tour graduate has yet to establish any course history here, but on paper, he fits the mold of what it takes to be successful at this event. He ranks seventh in strokes gained from tee to green (1.353) and ninth in strokes gained on approach (.749), with other strokes-gained statistics hovering around the top-50 range. The old trick of taking the hot hand is the appropriate approach here, as it wouldn't be unrealistic to think Knapp couldn't notch a top-25 finish here on his first go with how well he has been playing.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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