Jon Rahm entered the Arnold Palmer Invitational as the heavy favorite to win the event and showed why during the first round on Thursday. The World No. 1 was able to turn in an electric first-round score of 65 (-7) to take a two-shot lead heading into Friday’s second round. The latest Arnold Palmer Invitational odds show Rahm has now taken over as the heavy favorite to take home the tournament, with nobody even close to his current betting line.
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Arnold Palmer Invitational Odds: Jon Rahm Heavy Favorite
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Jon Rahm is now listed at +140. He is followed by Scottie Scheffler (+750), Xander Schauffele (+1100), Patrick Cantlay (+1100), Cameron Young (+1800), Tony Finau (+2200) and Rickie Fowler (+2200)
Rahm finished his first round by ending eagle-birdie-birdie on the final three holes, showing why many in and around the game of golf believe him to be the best in the world. Perhaps the scariest part of Rahm’s strong first round for the other players in the Arnold Palmer Invitational field is that Rahm now has complete confidence that he can execute the tough conditions Bay Hill Golf Course presents.
“I appreciate the fact that this golf course is very challenging and I feel like it’s a place where I can just try and hang in there. That’s what I did last year. I didn’t play amazing for four days. One of the guys I played a practice round with this week asked me what I did so well last year, and I just told ’em I survived. That’s really what it felt like. This place is brutal and it’s only going to get harder as the week goes on. This is Thursday morning. It’s typically the easiest conditions. So we’ll see what happens as the week goes on,” Rahm said after his round, per CBS Sports.
Playing in just his sixth tournament of the 2023 season, Rahm has already proven he is the man to beat going forward, winning three tournaments and finishing top 10 in every tournament he competes in.
Coming into the weekend, Rahm was asked if he believes any player in the PGA can compete with him when he is at his best. His answer was a resounding, “no”.
Based on the latest Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, sportsbooks don’t believe very many out there can compete with him, either. And this weekend is now squarely Rahm’s for the taking after just one round of play.
