2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: Top 10 Power Rankings at Bay Hill
Jon Rahm is on a similar tear to start 2023 that Scottie Scheffler was to start 2022.
Rahmbo is already up to three wins this year, and it could easily be more. The Spaniard’s contended every time he’s teed it up.
After a close call at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2022, Rahm sealed the deal this year in comeback fashion.
He went back-to-back with a victory a couple weeks later at The American Express. Rahm was in the final group in the final round the next week at one of his favorite venues, Torrey Pines, and finished T-7th.
Rahm again was in the last threesome Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open, but Scheffler wasn’t to be denied again at TPC Scottsdale and Rahm ended in third.
He got back on the horse the next week at the Genesis Invitational and became the first of his countrymen to claim the trophy at Riviera.
Now, the question is if Rahm can keep the momentum going on the opposite American coast.
None of his 10 PGA Tour victories have come in Florida. He tends to rest during several of these events. This is just his second Arnold Palmer Invitational appearance.
Last year was his debut. Rahm posted 72-70-74-74 to finish T-17th. It was an incredibly bunched leaderboard as he finished only seven shots off the lead.
Conditions were tough out there and some players pointed out that they thought the setup turned unfair.
Rahm is unafraid of calling out setups he doesn’t like (looking at you, PGA West), but he ended up praising Bay Hill in 2022.
“If it was up to me,” Rahm was quoted in a GolfChannel.com article by Ryan Lavner, “we would see more of that [Bay Hill setup] every single week rather than a setup with no rough and having to shoot 25 under.”
Rahm is a U.S. Open champ, after all, and has the type of game that can hold up under tough conditions. It makes sense that he’d like to see things dialed up more often.
He leads the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (2.941), greens in regulation (75.69%), and birdie average (5.58). He’s top-22 in all SG categories and has no big weaknesses plaguing him.