The PGA Tour continues its Florida swing this week with the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which begins on Thursday. It is another Signature Event, meaning some of the top golfers in the world are competing in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational field. Kevin Chappell is the only golfer in the last seven years to register four rounds in the 60s in the same tournament at this course, and challenging conditions are expected again this year. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the +320 favorite (risk $100 to win $320) in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, while past champion Rory McIlroy is +750 on the PGA odds board. McIlroy has racked up six career top-10 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the most of any player since 2015.
Jason Day is the only other past champion in the field, but he is an 80-1 longshot. Scheffler is -140 (risk $140 to win $100) to finish inside the top five, while Day is +500 (risk $100 to win $500) to crack the top 10. Scheffler will tee off alongside Ludvig Aberg at 9:45 a.m. ET on Thursday. Aberg is the current FedEx Cup leader and is +1600 to finish on top of the leaderboard. Which golfers should you back with your 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational bets? Before making any 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, you need to see the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.
McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he gave out numerous winners in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open and Xander Schauffele (20-1) at the PGA Championship. He already nailed Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot in The American Express this year. Anyone who followed his betting picks could have been way up on betting apps and sportsbooks.
Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational field and locked in his best bets and top longshot sleepers. You can only see them here.
Top 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational expert picks
McDonald loves the value of Patrick Cantlay at +3000 (risk $100 to win $3,000) this week. Bay Hill is one of the most challenging tests on the PGA Tour, creating serious problems for missed fairways and playing from the rough. Cantlay is one of the top golfers in the field in terms of ball striking on similar courses, using precision to his advantage in these conditions.
He is also one of nine players in the field who rank inside the top 40 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained around the green, scrambling and bogey avoidance. Cantlay has made the cut in all four of his tournaments this season, carding top-five finishes in the American Express and the Genesis Invitational. He finished T4 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational two years ago, and McDonald expects him to be in contention on Sunday again this weekend.