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The 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational begins this Thursday, March 4, at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida. This is the fourth Signature Event of the PGA Tour season, so the best players on the circuit will be present.
Among the 69 players that make up the field of the Arnold Palmer Invitational are nine members of the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). There are also 29 of the top 30 ranked players on the current season's FedEx Cup roster.
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Scottie Scheffler leads most experts' selections. The American is considered the top ranked golfer in the world not only by the OWGR, but also in the other three major world rankings that exist (The Universal Golf Ranking, Sports Illustrated Golf Ranking and Data Golf).
Scheffler remains atop the world rankings despite facing problems with his putting (he is ranked 144th in Stroke Gained: Putting in the current PGA Tour season). He makes up for this deficit with his excellence in other areas of the game and has five Top 20 finishes in as many tournaments in 2024.
Viktor Hovland is another favorite heading into the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Norwegian closed the 2023 season atop the FedEx Cup standings and during 2024, he had two strong finishes in three tournaments (T22 at The Sentry, T58 at AT&T Pebble Beach and T19 at The Genesis Invitational).
However, Hovland has not been completely comfortable with his early season results. He even withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open to work on some specific aspects of his swing.
2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational: The rest of the expert picks
Most experts quoted by Golf News Net and the PGA Tour News Service agree that Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg join Scheffler and Hovland among the favorites for the title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rory Mcilroy won at Bay Hill in 2018 and finished second in 2023. His recent results have been up and down, as he had a win and a T2 on the DP World Tour, but on the PGA Tour, he has a T21 at The Cognizant Classic as his best result so far.
Xander Schauffele is ranked 5th in the OWGR thanks to a long period of stability in his game. Schauffele has not missed a cut on the PGA Tour since April 2022 (The Masters). His 2024 results include four Top 10s in five starts.
Ludvig Aberg is one of the top rising stars in world golf. His professional career started in June 2023 and he has already achieved his first victory on the DP World Tour and also on the PGA Tour. The young Swede's recent results include two Top 10s in five tournaments.
