2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Picks
By Danny Norris
The PGA Tour heads to Bay Hill, Florida for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And after an absolutely exciting finish last week at the Valspar Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational has a lot to live up to this week.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is – as it says in the title – an invitational and so the field isn’t as big as your typical PGA Tour event. Given that this is a limited field and this isn’t that strong of a field as you might expect.
Now, again, I emphasis that this is a strong field, but not a field that has all the top golfers. Players like Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed and golfers like that aren’t here.
More from Golf News
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- 2023 Hero World Challenge Predictions: The Return Of Tiger Woods?
- RSM Classic Brings the controversial 2023 PGA Tour Season to a close
With that said, typically, there are a bunch of golfers I like and I have to trim it down to four to six. This week, not so much. I’m not really crazy about anybody down below the salary cap range.
So, this week I’ll only have four which is actually pretty normal, but I don’t have nine or ten and trying to eliminate and condense it down. The other change this week is I will a high-tier sleeper pick, a couple of mid-tier sleeper picks, and a low-tier sleeper pick.
So, without further ado, here are the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational fantasy sleeper picks:
Charles Howell III: We are starting off with the higher-tier sleeper pick with Charles Howell III. Howell has quietly been really productive throughout the year. Howell has made seven straight cuts including a T-10 finish last week at the Valspar Championship.
Here at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Howell has had success as well. Howell III hasn’t missed a cut here at the API since 2009. Last year, Howell finished T-35, in 2013 : T-45, 2012: T-20, 2011: T-38, 2010: T-21, and 2009: T-22.
On paper, Howell is a quality pick. A safe bet to make the cut and finish maybe in the top 25.
George McNeill: Last week was a surprise. George McNeill had been playing well and had played well at the Valspar Championship, yet he missed the cut. It didn’t make sense, but that’s the exactly why golf is so hard to predict and handicap.
Including the missed cut last week, McNeill has now made the cut in five of the last six tournaments and is coming to a tournament where he has had a lot of success. McNeill has made the cut in his last three tournaments here at the API, including a T-14 last year.
McNeill is a bit of a risk as he’s coming off a missed cut, so his floor might be lower, but when you factor in his course history and the fact that he finished T-11 at the Honda Classic just a few weeks back he has a pretty high ceiling.
Gary Woodland: Gary Woodland has had an up-and-down type year so far. He’ll have a quality finish one week, and then miss the cut the very next week. I’m banking that he’ll have a pretty good week at the API.
Since missing the cut in 2011, Woodland has been really quality. Last year, finished T-20, in 2013: T-27, and 2012: T-48. This is the kind of track that Woodland can have a lot of success in and he has shown that.
I’m looking for him to breakthrough this year and finish in the top ten. He has the talent and this course suits his game.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano has not played well at all this year. He has lost his form this season as his best finish has been just a T-27 at the Puerto Rico Open. But, if you want to take someone who has played well at Bay Hill, and is about as cheap as you can get, GFC isn’t a bad pick considering the circumstances.