The 2016 fantasy golf season rolls right along, as the PGA Tour remains in Florida this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A field of 132 players will tackle Bay Hill Club & Lodge, affectionately known as the home of “The King.”
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Matt Every won this event last year by one shot over Henrik Stenson. Here are 10 players to watch in Orlando:
1. Adam Scott: After a week off, the Aussie returns in his quest to win a third straight start on the Florida Swing. Scott followed a one-shot win at Honda with a narrow escape at Doral, and now he returns to an event where he led by seven shots after 36 holes before finishing third.
2. Henrik Stenson: Stenson let this trophy slip away on the greens last year, but his runner-up finish was still his third straight result of T-8 or better at Bay Hill. The Swede hasn’t been talked about much in recent weeks, but he followed a T-28 finish in Miami with a T-11 finish in Tampa.
3. Rory McIlroy: McIlroy finished T-11 last year in his Bay Hill debut, and his high ball flight seems ideally suited for this week’s layout. He appeared in position to win two weeks ago at Doral, but a third-place showing still points to the fact that he seems to be trending in the right direction.
4. Justin Rose: Rose was a runner-up at this event in 2013, and he also finished T-3 in 2011. The Englishman has cracked the top 20 in each of his last three PGA Tour starts and has been remarkably consistent this season outside of a missed cut in San Diego.
5. Jason Day: The Aussie is still looking to get his year going, as he remains without a top-10 finish since the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Last year’s T-17 finish was his best ever at this event, but Day will look to improve upon that this week as he hopes to keep pace with several players near him in the world rankings.
6. Ryan Moore: Fresh off a third-place showing in Tampa, Moore heads east to a course where he finished T-12 in 2011 and T-4 in 2012. Moore’s recent form also includes a top-10 at Riviera and a T-11 finish at TPC Scottsdale.
7. Brandt Snedeker: Snedeker won earlier this year but is making his first start since a rib injury forced him out of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. He should find solid footing at Bay Hill, where he has five top-25 finishes in the last eight years, including T-8 and T-13 finishes each of the last two years.
8. Matt Every: You have to include the two-time defending champ somewhere on this list...right? Every has no recent form whatsoever to speak of, and has essentially struggled ever since leaving Bay Hill with the trophy. But he clearly has a knack for Arnie’s Place, and he didn’t have much momentum before last year’s surprising win, either.
9. Zach Johnson: Johnson has quietly compiled a strong record at this event, with five finishes of T-11 or better since 2004. That includes last year’s T-9 result, which included an albatross on the par-5 16th hole, and his comfort zone in Orlando should make up for a lack of recent form.
10. Matt Kuchar: Kuchar is making his API debut, but the veteran enters off a strong run that includes a T-8 finish at Riviera and a T-11 finish at Innisbrook. A native of nearby Winter Park, Kuchar brings with him plenty of experience when it comes to Central Florida golf, even if it hasn’t been inside the ropes at this event.
