Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 FRL Tips: Two to start fast at Bay Hill

The Arnold Palmer Invitational begins tomorrow, and it may just pay to side with the very earliest starters at Bay Hill.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with two picks he fancies to start fast in his Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

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Play commences at 7.40am on Thursday, with players going out in pairs in 10/15-minute intervals off the first tee. The final group starts at 1.50pm, which means that while there are no strict morning/afternoon waves, we could still see a draw bias develop.

Excluding a couple of passing showers in the afternoon, sunshine and warm conditions (beginning at 20°C and rising to 29°C) are forecast throughout the day. However, while it is flat calm first thing, the breeze is predicted to increase to a constant 9-11mph from around 10am, gusting at up to 20mph later in the day.

With increased wind and rain in the afternoon, the forecast looks to favour the first players out, and I’ve focused particularly on those who tee off before or around 9.00am, coming up with two selections.

1 pt Corey Conners each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 45/1

Start time: 9.05am

Basing himself in Jupiter, Florida, it’s no surprise that Corey Conners usually comes alive during the East Coast swing. This comfort has seen him record five top-25s in a row at Bay Hill, and with fast starts forming the foundation of several of those efforts, he’s an easy choice from this early start time.

Conners began the year with a 24^th-place finish in the Sony Open, and after a couple of disappointing displays in Phoenix and at Pebble Beach, he looked in better shape at Riviera two weeks ago, finishing 37^th.

He’s been typically straight off the tee, ranking 6^th in driving accuracy, and whilst his iron play has yet to ignite, this is a course at which he has ranked inside the top 15 in SG: Approach on his last five visits.

Although his recent first-round form leaves a little to be desired, he is a player who saves his best in this regard for the big tournaments. Indeed, he was 2^nd after round one of The Masters in 2025 and as mentioned, he has repeated this habit at Bay Hill.

Conners missed his first two cuts at this course but improved considerably to finish 3^rd in 2021 – an event in which he shared the first-round lead after opening with a six-under 66. He shot another 66 in round three on his way to finishing 21^st in 2023 and having sat 2^nd on day one last year before eventually finishing 3^rd, he’s a compelling case to hit the front on Thursday.

1 pt Joel Dahmen each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 7.40am

Joel Dahmen is driving the ball better than ever at the beginning of 2026, which played a key role in him recording top-10s at the Farmers Insurance Open and Cognizant Classic. He started quickly last week, and with a 5^th-place finish on his CV at Bay Hill, he should be full of confidence as he begins in the calm of Thursday morning.

Dahmen missed four of his final six cuts in 2025, but he’s looked like a completely different player in the early weeks of this year. He was a solid 38^th on his seasonal reappearance at The AmEx, and he backed that up with a 7^th-place finish at Torrey Pines the following week.

After narrowly missing the cut in Phoenix, he bounced back at the Cognizant Classic, topping the field in SG: Ball-Striking to finish 9^th. This long-game quality has been evident in each outing, especially with the driver, as he ranks 2^nd in driving accuracy and 5^th in SG: Off-the-Tee in 2026.

He was in blistering scoring form at the Farmers Insurance Open, firing a nine-under 63 at Torrey Pines North in round two. The American finally transferred that low-scoring ability to round one at PGA National, starting with a three-under 68 to place 9^th after 18 holes.

Dahmen has often been able to spike his putting performance on bermudagrass, which he showed when shooting a nine-under 61 to take the first-round lead at last year’s Wyndham Championship. He showed positive signs in this respect in round three last week and, with a 5^th-place finish here in 2020 to draw upon, he looks capable of setting the early pace from the first group out.

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