2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational course notes and pick

Another difficult test is on slate for the next leg of the Florida Swing, as a limited field of 120 players visit Bay Hill's Championship Course at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

Ranked one of the top 10 most difficult courses on Tour, Bay Hill was designed in 1961 by famed architect Dick Wilson, and became the home of the long-running invitational tournament in 1966.

Three of the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including tournament favorite and world No. 1 Jon Rahm (+800), will be in attendance. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau withdrew earlier this week due to injury.

Let’s do a deep dive into Bay Hill’s design and look at the key course notes as we make our best picks for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Bay Hill course notes

Bay Hill's par-72, 7,381-yard course stretches across 270 acres along the shores of the Butler Chain of Lakes and is the first golf course in the world to use the now-popular Tifway Bermudagrass.

Following a weekend in which PGA National's layout had golfers fearing getting wet (15 holes with water in play), Bay Hill includes half as many water holes, but features more than 80 bunkers throughout.

Length is the main focus at Bay Hill, with its long par-3s and gettable par-5s. Since 2016, the course has required more approach shots of 200 or more yards than any other course on Tour, and many of those demand long irons to get across the water.

The good news is, the greens are massive and there's a ton of room to launch long bombs off the tee, but missing the fairway or greens comes with a cost, as three inches of over-seeded rough lie in wait.

Bay Hill ranked as the No. 1 most difficult course on Tour in 2020, when only four players finished below par for the week. Since 2007, just three tournament winners have finished with a score of 14-under or lower.

The par-3 second hole is one of the most challenging, with a 3.2 scoring average in 2021. The 18th also poses plenty of difficulty and unpredictability, as players are forced to carry the ball over water one final time.

Best bets at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational

If anyone can handle the steep test at Bay Hill, it's Rahm, who is statistically built for this course. Yet, at +800 odds, there isn't much value in backing the Spaniard, who will be making his first appearance in Florida since his 21st-place finish at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.

Instead, look to Sungjae Im (+2500), who just missed the cut at the Honda Classic but has a win and five total top-11 finishes this season. He also has a knack for Bay Hill, with a pair of top-threes and a 21st-place finish in three career appearances.

Im ranks fourth on Tour in strokes gained off the tee, sixth in ball striking, 11th in greens in regulation, 23rd in birdie or better percentage putting, and is second in scrambling.

Another player at similar odds who is due for a win is Will Zalatoris (+2500). The 25-year-old placed 10th at Bay Hill last year and finished in second, via playoff, at the end of January at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Zalatoris ranks first in strokes gained tee to green and strokes gained approaching the green, while he's fourth in par-3 scoring, eighth in bogey avoidance, ninth in greens in regulation percentage, and 14th in scrambling.

Look for him to contend for another top 10 in his second career appearance at the API.

How to watch the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational

The winner of the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational will receive $2.16 million of a $12 million purse and 550 FedExCup points.

You can catch all the action on the following days and times: