Another week on the PGA Tour, another event in beautiful and sunny Florida. Over in Bay Hill, Florida, at the beautiful Bay Hill Club And Lodge, we get one of five invitational events on the PGA Tour, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As a signature event, our players will be competing for their share of $20,000,000 USD and 700 FedExCup points. Let’s dive in!

We’re in for quite the show this week on one of my personal favorite courses. As always, when looking at your lineups, make sure to take advantage of our PGA DFS Projections, PGA DFS Ownership, and PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer to get every advantage you can.

 

 

Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been played since 1979 under various names, and has been a mainstay on tour since it’s inception. 

Named after course owner and legendary player Arnold Palmer, this event not only features a large prize pool, but you also get a classic red cardigan, in remembrance of Palmer which began in the 2017 iteration of the event after his passing in 2016. In 2024, Scottie Scheffler won for the 2nd time here, joining Matt Every, Tiger Woods, and Ernie Els as the only multiple time winners here since 2000. Russell Henley is our defending champion and will be looking to join that list.

 

 

Bay Hill Club & Lodge: Course Breakdown This Week

Bay Hill Club and Lodge is exactly what many people picture when they think of a PGA golf course.. Coming in just under 7,500 yards and playing at Par 72, this course is not only legendary but also has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour since 1979. The third most predictive course on the PGA Tour, we can look at the key features of this course and make some solid determinations about how players will perform here. 

Bay Hill consists of your standard array of 4 Par 3s, 10 Par 4s, and 4 Par 5s. Our Par 3s this week all play essentially 200-230 yards, with our 3 of the 4 Par 5s playing over 555 yards. Our Par 4s play between 380 and 480 yards, so these will be some of our key yardages to look at when projecting players this week. The par 3's at this venue have the longest average distance on tour, giving some added benefit to long par 3 scoring in the model this week. Additionally, given the length of the course, there will be a premium this week on both approach and proximity from 200+, given that nearly 30 percent of approach shots come from this distance.

When looking at the key defensive features of the course, the one that we absolutely must talk about is the rough. One of the longest roughs we will see on tour at a non-major venue, this is one of the key defenses of this legendary venue. Not only that, but we also have water hazards in play on nine holes. As a result, ball striking will be at a premium this week. 

With Bermuda throughout, putting stats on Bermuda will be included again, unsurprisingly, as they are a staple of Florida courses. Much like we saw last week at PGA National, the Florida winds and rain potential will also be factored in. In windier weeks here, the winning scores have been as low as -4 under par, a stark difference in comparison to Scottie’s win here in 2024 at -15. 

The statistical picture of this event is very clear. Players need to have strong all-around games to compete here. With the 14th thinnest fairways on average, players need to be accurate off the tee, but also need to be long enough to minimize the approach distances, so Total Driving will be our preferred off the tee statistic. With over 50 percent of approach shots coming from 175 yards or longer, and 30 percent coming from 200 plus, long iron approach play will be key. I'm including Overall Approach Proximity from 175+ in the model this week. Scrambling and Sand Save Percentage will play a factor given the defenses of this venue, as will long par 3 scoring.

 

 

Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 Field: Golf DFS

This week at Bay Hill, we will see 72 of the world’s best teeing it up. Every PGA Tour player in the top 24 of the OWGR will be in attendance with only 6 players in attendance currently ranked outside the top 100, including the lone Amateur in the field in Daniel Bennett of South Africa who earned his spot by winning the Palmer Cup. 

With all the expected names in the field, we do get two notable players making their debuts in Justin Thomas (who is returning from back surgery) and Sungjae Im (returning from a wrist injury). Additionally, through sponsors exemptions this week we will see Max Greyserman, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, and Jordan Spieth. 

After his win this past weekend at the Cognizant Classic, Nico Echavarria also joins the field. Every winner on tour this year is in attendance, as well as previous API champions Kurt Kitayama, Scottie Scheffler, and Jason Day.

 

 

This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator

To enhance your daily fantasy golf selections and secure optimal PGA DFS values, it's advisable to utilize our PGA DFS optimizer and lineup generator. This optimizer serves as a valuable resource for daily fantasy golf enthusiasts aiming to develop effective lineups!

It provides projections, updates on player injuries, and a range of analytical insights to facilitate the lineup-building process. Essentially, it functions as a strategic advantage for participants in daily fantasy golf and makes their own PGA DFS picks!

PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational (5-10 Overall, +4.3 Units)

  • Joel Dahmen: Top 20 (+410)
  • Corey Conners: Top Canadian (+156) 
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational One-and-Done Picks: 
    • High End
      • Matt Fitzpatrick
      • Tommy Fleetwood
    • Low End
      • Corey Conners
      • Keegan Bradley

 

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier

Rory McIlroy ($13,200 FanDuel/$11,600 DraftKings)

Rory is my top play of the week at the high end, even over Scottie. Scottie is electric at this venue, with 2 wins and 3 other top 15 finishes, but Rory presents a better value play as someone with 2-4k in savings for lineups. Rory has never finished worse than 27th here (back in 2016) and has rattled off 9 straight top 15 finishes, with a win and 5 other top 10's in the span. His all-around game fits this venue to a tee, and he's even mentioned that the course plays easier with less runoffs around the green. A no-brainer at the top.

Matt Fitzpatrick ($11,400 FanDuel/$9,800 DraftKings)

While seeing Rory's name in this article certainly wasn't a surprise, seeing Fitzy up here might catch your eye. Over his last 5 professional starts, Fitz won in a loaded field at the DP World Tour Championship, then after a shaky start at The AmEx, has rattled off 3 straight top 25 finishes. He's the only player besides Rory and Scottie to have positive numbers across all statistics in my model, and proposes arguably the best value proposition in this top tier.

Tommy Fleetwood ($11,600 FanDuel/$10,300 DraftKings)

The UK and Ireland dominate the top of this board, which is no surprise given the shot making ability players must have with these Florida winds. Fleetwood's calling card is accuracy, which will play well at a course that penalizes being off the fairway and green. His wedge play is top 10 in the field when off the green, so even if he falters, he should be fine. While the putter isn't always his strong suit, he's a top 15 putter in the field on these fast bermuda greens. He makes a ton of sense at the top of this board.

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID-TIER

Jake Knapp ($9,700 FanDuel/$8,600 DraftKings)

I can't believe Knapp keeps retaining this cheap of a price given his recent play. He's recorded no worse than a T11 finish in 2026, and is coming off some of the best putting weeks of his career. His driver and scoring prowess should allow him to compete if this becomes a higher scoring event, and his top 12 long iron play should fit this course perfectly. As long as the putter stays even lukewarm, he should easily find himself in contention yet again.

Ludvig Aberg ($10,000 FanDuel/$8,400 DraftKings)

As someone who has been a Ludvig fader for most of his career due to his volatility, I'm taking a risk on some of this volatility this week. Ludvig has been dealing with an illness, but has shown heart and skill still. He's struggling early, as he ranks 170 in Round 1 Scoring average, but is a top 10 player over the final two rounds. Given the limited cut of this event, I'm going to take the chance that he'll continue his streaking of gaining strokes tee to green and shine this week.

Chris Gotterup ($10,300 FanDuel/$8,300 DraftKings)

Yet another guy who has a price that simply doesn't make sense. Yes, he missed the gut at the Genesis, but we're talking about a guy who has won twice on tour this year. He's the best player off the tee in the field thus far, is a top 20 putter in the field on bermuda, and is a top 15 player in the field around the green. He fits this course beautifully, and is someone who can take this one down in his debut.

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Nicolai Hojgaard ($8,200 FanDuel/$7,200 DraftKings)

It worked last week, so why not this week? Yes the field is tougher, and that will play, but Hojgaard is a top 10 player off the tee and on approach. As one of the most underrated ball-strikers on tour, his only real weakness at this course is that his wedges can be squirrely at times. That said, he's 7th in proximity from the sand, and still in the top half of the tour with the wedges. He's a great value option.

Keith Mitchell ($8,000 FanDuel/$7,400 DraftKings)

I ain't quittin' Cashmere Keith. His distance is a huge strength at this venue, he has multiple top 10 finishes at this venue, and is coming off a strong week at the Cog. His long iron's aren't the best, and he's not a great par 3 scorer, but I'm willing to take the chance on his length and upside on Bermuda greens that he's shown comfort on.

Joel Dahmen ($6,700 FanDuel/$6,300 DraftKings)

Let's have some fun here. Dahmen is fun to root for, but he also makes sense at this field. Dahmen has two top 10 finishes this year, has a top 5 at this venue in the past, and has transformed his game off the tee. Over the last 6 months, he's 1st in Driving Accuracy, 14th in Total Driving, 3rd in Good Drive Percentage, and 1st is Distance from the Edge of the Fairway. That accuracy will play anywhere. Over his last 8 rounds, he's average 1.54 strokes gained ball-striking, and if that sticks. We're talking about legit top 10 potential with Dahmen.

 

 

 

PGA DFS Picks This Week (Cheat Sheet)

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