(Photo credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images)

The iconic Bay Hill Club & Lodge plays host to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which tees off Thursday in Orlando.

It begins a stretch of events that includes The Players Championship just up the Florida coast next week and the Masters in early April. Our golf experts preview the API and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

Location: Orlando, Fla., March 6-9

Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Par 72, 7,466 Yards)

Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)

Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler

FedEx Cup Leader: Ludvig Aberg

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. E.T. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

X: @APInv

PROP PICKS

--Michael Kim to Beat Si Woo Kim (-120 at DraftKings): It has been six years since Michael Kim claimed his lone PGA Tour win to date by eight shots at the John Deere Classic. Now 31, he has again shown that strong form with a T2 in Phoenix beginning a stretch of four consecutive T13 finishes or better. Si Woo Kim has been solid but not as impressive with a 12th at Pebble Beach followed by a T21 in Phoenix and T24 at the Genesis.

--Wyndham Clark Top 20 Finish (+175 at BetRivers): Clark hits the Florida swing seeking to jump-start his season, which has included a best finish of T15 at The Sentry. He could find that spark this week. Clark finished second to Scheffler here last year, when they were the only two players to post four rounds under par.

--Scottie Scheffler & Ludvig Aberg Top 5 (+600 at DraftKings): It's not easy to find enticing odds for either player entering this week. Scheffler, who has won two of the past three APIs, has had a few weeks off to hone in on his game at home. Aberg, who lives just two hours away, called Bay Hill one of the 'most iconic' courses on tour. He also happens to arguably be in the best form in the world to begin 2025.

2025 Prop Pick Record: 10-12-1

BEST BETS

--Scottie Scheffler (+320 at DraftKings) won by five strokes last year, the largest margin of victory at Bay Hill since Tiger Woods won by five in 2012. It was one of four signature event victories by Scheffler last year on top of The Players Championship and the Masters.

--Rory McIlroy (+750) won at Bay Hill in 2018 and has played in the event every year since his debut in 2015. He's tied with Scheffler in leading the field with 11 percent of the total winning bets backing each to win.

--Ludvig Aberg (+1600) is coming off his second victory in 40 career PGA Tour starts. Along with a win at the Genesis, he finished T5 at The Sentry and was leading the Farmers until becoming ill. Aberg leads the field with 18 percent of all money wagered backing him to win.

--Xander Schauffele (+1800) returns from a rib injury to make his first start since a T30 at The Sentry.

--Justin Thomas (+2500) is still seeking his first tournament victory since the 2022 PGA Championship. He has drawn 9 percent of the money this week, as Thomas looks to build on six top-10s in his past eight worldwide starts.

--Tommy Fleetwood (+3000) is 10th in the world rankings while coming off a T5 at the Genesis.

NOTES

--This is the fourth of eight limited-field signature events, featuring an increased purse and 700 FedEx Cup points. It's also one of three player-hosted events, with sponsor invites given to Rafael Campos, Mackenzie Hughes, Min Woo Lee and Justin Rose.

--The 72-player event will be cut to the low 50 players and ties along with any additional players within 10 strokes of the lead after 36 holes.

--The field features 38 of the top 40 players in the Official World Golf Rankings and 47 of the top 50.

--Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun is in the field on the Arnold Palmer Cup Exemption.

--The event has not been decided by a playoff since 1999, although 13 of the 25 champions since have won by a single stroke.

--Payne Stewart holds the tournament scoring record of 264 set in 1987.

--Field Level Media