Tiger Woods was a late scratch due to a neck injury, but the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational still boasts a strong field with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
The Florida swing continues this week at Bay Hill in Orlando, kicking off a huge stretch that includes next week’s Players Championship and the Masters in April.
Here are my top 20 fantasy picks for the week.
20. Billy Horschel: He’s never missed a cut in six API starts, and a T-16 at Honda Classic was his fifth top-25 finish of the season.
19. Ian Poulter: Hasn’t cracked the top 40 in his last three Bay Hill appearances, but coming off a T-3 in Mexico City.
18. Kyle Stanley: Really struggling lately with four missed cuts in his last five starts, but he’s also finished top-20 in three of his last four API appearances.
17. Bubba Watson: Playing well of late and looking for his second career top-10 finish here.
16. Louis Oosthuizen: Finished T-9 at the 2015 API and has a pair of top-25 finishes in four Tour starts this season.
15. Charles Howell III: Home game for the Orlando resident this week at Bay Hill, where he’s made the cut 14 years in a row.
14. Lucas Glover: Finished T-4 at Honda Classic and has been T-17 or better in seven of eight starts this season.
13. Francesco Molinari: Really enjoys this place with three top-10 finishes in his last five starts at Bay Hill.
12. Phil Mickelson: The 1997 API champ returns to Bay Hill for the first time since 2013, when he missed the cut and shot 79 in the second round.
11. Hideki Matsuyama: Ballstriking has been on point lately for Matsuyama, who ranks third in strokes gained tee-to-green this season.
10. Patrick Reed: Finished T-7 at last year’s API, his first appearance since 2014.
9. Tommy Fleetwood: Stateside schedule starting to pick up entering his third career Bay Hill start, with prior finishes of T-26 and T-10.
8. Henrik Stenson: Never broke 70 in Mexico City, but he has five top-10 finishes in his last six starts here.
7. Marc Leishman: Former winner here was T-7 in 2018 and looking to continue his run of Bay Hill success.
6. Bryson DeChambeau: Finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy a year ago and T-27 during his API debut in 2017.
5. Brooks Koepka: Missed the cut last year and withdrew in the final round in 2017, but reigning Player of the Year is coming off a T-2 at Honda Classic.
4. Jason Day: Won here in 2016 and enters in great form with a T-4 at Pebble Beach and T-5 in the Farmers Insurance Open.
3. Rickie Fowler: Came up one shot shy of a playoff at Honda and has back-to-back top-15 finishes at Arnie’s place.
2. Justin Rose: Englishman is coming off a break entering Bay Hill, where he finished solo third last year.
1. Rory McIlroy: Defending champ has four straight top-5 finishes and is looking to get over the hump at the site of his last victory.
