THE WATCH: Rory is just one to monitor at Arnold Palmer Inv and Beyond

The PGA Tour travels to Bay Hill Club and Lodge this week for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. It is the second Invitational tournament in the span of three weeks after the Genesis Invitational took place just two weeks ago.

Bryson DeChambeau, who won the event last year, is set to return to action this week for the first time since early February. Bryson withdrew from the Genesis Invitational prior to his last start, it was the second event that the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational champion had to withdraw his name from this month. The 2020 U.S. Open Champion has been dealing with injuries to both his hand and hip but is set to return to defend the API title this week.

The 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational is the last event prior to the PGA’s flagship event THE PLAYERS in just over a week’s time. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, and Viktor Hovland are just a few of the big names in the field at Bay Hill. Three names have officially made the list of professionals to keep an eye on both this week and in the coming weeks with some big events on the horizon.

The Watch: three names to watch at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and upcoming PLAYERS Championship

Rory McIlroy

The world number 5 has begun 2022 with three top 15 finishes in three starts, with one of those being a 3rd place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic that could have easily resulted in Mcllroy’s first victory of the year, if not for a shot into the water on Sunday down the stretch.

Rory has looked great to begin the year despite no win to show for his efforts as of yet. The 2019 PLAYERS Champion has had great success at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with no finish at Bay Hill outside of the top 10 since 2016, this includes a win at this event back in 2018.

This week presents an excellent opportunity for McIlroy to win again at a place he loves, if he is able to do so he would join a list of six other players to have won the Arnold Palmer Invitational on multiple occasions.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott, who won the PLAYERS Championship in 2004, looks to be on the verge of something special yet again.

The Australian has recorded three top 10 finishes in four starts to begin 2022, the most recent of those came at the Genesis Invitational where he was 4th just two weeks ago. He rebounded at Riviera nicely after struggling a bit at the WM Phoenix Open in his previous start.

Adam has made the cut in four of six appearances at Bay Hill, this includes finishes of 12th in 2016 and 3rd in 2014. It would not come as a surprise to see Scott win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week after how well he has been playing as of late. Though that is entirely possible, where he really needs to be watched is at TPC Sawgrass in just over a week’s time. He has finished 12th (2019), 11th (2018), 6th (2017), 12th (2016), in four of his last five starts at the PLAYERS Championship.

Shane Lowry

For a long time this week at the Honda Classic, it seemed as though Daniel Berger would be holding the trophy on Sunday, and for a while on Sunday it looked like Shane Lowry had done enough to earn the win at PGA National, neither thing happened as it was eventually Sepp Straka who would go on to secure his first PGA Tour win in some fashion.

None of that changes the fact that the Irishman Lowry has started 2022 very nicely, and although he is not listed in the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, he is certainly one to watch at the upcoming PLAYERS Championship.

The 2nd place Shane earned at the Honda Classic was his best result in a year that has already included a 24th place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic, and a 12th place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Lowry has had mixed results at TPC Sawgrass throughout his career but he recorded his best-ever finish of 8th there just last year.  He has looked sharp to begin 2022 and after having had a bit of success at the PLAYERS Championship in 2021 is one worth monitoring in the coming weeks.