Action Report: Bettors Love Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler Ahead of Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waits to putt on the ninth green during the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in the Pacific Palisades area of, Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Ryan Hannable @RyanHannable Mar 06, 2024, 12:53 PM

It is another PGA Tour signature event with the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, which means all the top players will be at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge just outside Orlando, Florida.

And when it comes to golf betting, bettors at the BetMGM online sportsbook are leaning on the two best players in the field.ย 

As of Wednesday, Rory McIlroy (+900, down from +1000) and Scottie Scheffler (+650, down from +700) are the two most popular players.

McIlroy is pulling in the most handle (14.6%) on the most tickets (9.4%), while Scheffler has the second-most handle (10.8%) on the second-most tickets (8.9%).

Not only are the players No. 1 (McIlroy) and No. 2 (Scheffler) in the Official World Golf Rankings, but both have had tremendous success at Bay Hill.

McIlroyโ€™s worst finish in his last seven appearances has been a T-13. Those seven appearances include four top 5s, including a win in 2017.ย 

Schefflerโ€™s worst finish in three appearances has been a T-15. He won the 2022 edition and finished T-4 a year ago.

Bay Hill is a course that demands accuracy and distance off the tee, and these two players are among the best drivers on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg (+2000) are BetMGMโ€™s biggest liabilities.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

  1. Rory McIlroy โ€“ 14.6%
  2. Scottie Scheffler โ€“ 10.8%
  3. Ludvig Aberg โ€“ 6%
  4. Cameron Young โ€“ 5.2%
  5. Viktor Hovland โ€“ 4.7%

Tickets

  1. Rory McIlroy โ€“ 9.4%
  2. Scottie Scheffler โ€“ 8.9%
  3. Viktor Hovland โ€“ 6%
  4. Ludvig Aberg โ€“ 5.5%
  5. Patrick Cantlay โ€“ 4.2%

Aberg finished T-24 last year as an amateur still playing collegiately at Texas Tech, but his ball striking feels like a good match for the course.

Hovland (+1400) has finished inside the top 10 here in the past two years, including a T-2 in 2022.

Defending champion Kurt Kitayama (+7000) is drawing just 0.9% of the tickets and 0.7% of the handle.

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About the Author

Ryan Hannable

Read More @RyanHannable

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, โ€œThe Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.โ€

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, โ€œThe Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.โ€