Newly minted PGA Tour winner Austin Eckroat will look to stay hot when he tees off at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational beginning on Thursday at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando. Last week, the 25-year-old Eckroat pulled away from a tight pack to win the Cognizant Classic by three strokes, earning his first career PGA Tour victory. This week, he will make his first start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. According to the latest 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, Eckroat is a +9000 longshot to win.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite at +650. Rory McIlroy (+900), Viktor Hovland (+1400), Xander Schauffele (+1400) and Patrick Cantlay (+1600) round out the top five choices in the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2024 field. Before locking in any 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, make sure you see the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from golf betting and fantasy expert Sia Nejad.
Nejad specializes in betting and DFS in golf, among other sports. He's had incredible success in the outright and first-round leader markets and in betting head-to-head matchups. He also has been on fire with his head-to-head matchups since last year's Charles Schwab Challenge, going 32-20-1 and returning 8.30 units over that span. That's a $830 profit for $100 bettors since May 2023.
Nejad also nailed 75-1 longshot Wyndham Clark as the outright winner at the Wells Fargo Championship. In 2023, SportsLine debuted "The Early Wedge," and in the first three months of the show, he hit two first-round leaders and three outright winners.
Now, Nejad has focused his attention on the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. See who they are at SportsLine.
Top 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational expert picks
One surprise: Nejad is completely fading McIlroy, even though he is a strong contender according to the Arnold Palmer Invitational odds at +900. The 34-year-old from Northern Ireland has been splitting his time this year between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. His best finish on the PGA Tour is a 21st-place showing at the Cognizant Classic last week.
So far this season, he ranks 150th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting (-0.500), which doesn't bode well for his chances at a course like Bay Hil. "Given the modest recent form and the talent-laden field, there's no chance I'm betting him at a number short," Nejad told SportsLine.
However, Nejad is high on the chances of Viktor Hovland, who's going off at +1400. The 26-year-old Norwegian will be playing in his 102nd PGA Tour event. He has six career wins, 20 top-five finishes, and almost $27.2 million in career earnings already.
Hovland enters the week knowing the course suits his game. Two years ago, he lost by a stroke to Scheffler, and last year he was in contention entering the final day but faded to 10th. "If the short game comes around, the Norwegian superstar is live to win at Bay Hill," Nejad said. See whom else to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks
Nejad has locked in his best bets for the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational and is backing several longshots, including one that is priced at more than 20-1. This player "ranks out very well in a lot of important metrics" and is a longshot who could surprise. You can see Nejad's PGA Tour picks only at SportsLine.
So which players should you target or avoid for the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, and which player in the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2024 field could bring a huge payday at more than 20-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sia Nejad's top picks for the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, all from the expert who is 32-20-1 on his last 53 head-to-head picks.
2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, field
See Nejad's picks, best bets and predictions here.
Scottie Scheffler +650
Rory McIlroy +900
Xander Schauffele +1400
Viktor Hovland +1400
Patrick Cantlay +1600
Ludvig Aberg +1800
Jordan Spieth +2000
Sam Burns +2200
Collin Morikawa +2200
Will Zalatoris +2500
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Max Homa +2500
Cameron Young +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick +2800
Justin Thomas +3000
Jason Day +3000
Min Woo Lee +3500
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Wyndham Clark +4500
Keegan Bradley +4500
Byeong Hun An +4500
Tom Kim +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Jake Knapp +5000
Harris English +5000
Corey Conners +5000
Chris Kirk +5000
Adam Scott +5000
Sungjae Im +5500
Kurt Kitayama +5500
Shane Lowry +6000
Sahith Theegala +6000
Adam Hadwin +6000
Erik Van Rooyen +6000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7000
Si Woo Kim +7500
Matthieu Pavon +7500
J.T. Poston +7500
Eric Cole +7500
Emiliano Grillo +7500
Stephan Jaeger +8000
Nicolai Hojgaard +8000
Cam Davis +8000
Tom Hoge +9000
Rickie Fowler +9000
Luke List +9000
Austin Eckroat +9000
Patrick Rodgers +10000
Sepp Straka +11000
Justin Rose +11000
Brian Harman +11000
Adam Svensson +11000
Lucas Glover +13000
Denny McCarthy +13000
Adam Schenk +13000
Taylor Moore +15000
Nick Taylor +15000
Brendon Todd +15000
Andrew Putnam +15000
C.T. Pan +18000
Sami Valimaki +20000
Webb Simpson +30000
Seamus Power +30000
Nick Dunlap +30000
Mackenzie Hughes +30000
Lee Hodges +30000
Justin Lower +30000
Grayson Murray +40000
David Ford +80000
