This week is the last leg of the Florida Swing on the PGA Tour and we finish it with the ‘Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard’ at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.

The event was founded in 1979 and before that it had several different name changes since it began in 1966 when it was known as the ‘Florida Citrus Open Invitational’ and was played at the Rio Pinar Golf Club which is also situated in Florida. Arnold Palmer has owned Bay Hill since 1974 however the tournament was first played under his name in 2007. In the 1966 Inaugural event Lionel Herbert beat the Legend Jack Nicklaus by 2 shots. Arnold Palmer has also won this event and that was in 1971, eight years before he became the host.

The field this week is of a very high standard with players such as Bradley Keegan, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan teeing it up.

The bookies top five in betting are $4.00 Tiger Woods, $17.00 Phil Mickelson, $19.00 Justin Rose, $21.00 Sergio Garcia and $21.00 Brandt Snedeker.

Tiger Woods is the Defending Champion this week and will be looking for his eighth win at Bay Hill. He is also coming off a win at the WGC Cadillac Championship so expect to see him challenging again this week. His odds are short however he is a proven winner on this course.

He has had many memorable moments at Bay Hill in past years which include his 2008 victory which saw him sink a 25 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to beat Bart Bryant by 1 shot. He was at it again in 2009 when he again birdied the 72nd hole to beat Sean O’Hair by 1 shot and claim his 6th victory in the tournament.

The course is Par 72, 7419 yard with 103 bunkers and water coming into play on 9 of the 18 holes. The Purse is $US6.2M with the winner taking home $US1,080,000. The Pros rank Bay Hill as one of the most challenging and enjoyable courses on the tour. Unlike a lot of the courses on tour where it becomes a birdie-fest, Bay Hill is one of those courses that will require patience and plotting to make your way around all 18 holes. Just ask John Daly who in 1998 hit 6 balls into the water on the 6th hole during his last round to score an 18!!

This week it is all about ball striking and hitting those greens. Looking back at the past winners you will notice that they all ranked highly in Greens in Regulation stats. If you get lost in the Bermuda rough it makes it almost impossible to shoot for the green.

Patience is paramount this week. As mentioned earlier it is vital to play your shots well and maintain those Pars as they are just as important as the birdies this week. It will require a steady head and poise.

Not many rookies or first times fair well at Bay Hill so look for players who have had good experience on the course and know how to plot their way around here. Experience will get you a long way at Bay Hill. Just look at the list of past winners and you will see what I mean.

Taking all this into consideration I have managed to find the following two players who should fit the bill this week.

Sergio Garcia $21.00 www.sportsbet.com.au

Sergio has had an excellent start to 2013. His form line reads as 2nd- 17th- 13th- 17th- 3rd and 7th. All 6 starts have resulted in Top 20 finishes. That is some pretty impressive golf.

Two starts ago at the WGC Cadillac Championship he was hitting 73% of greens in regulation and was ranked 15th in ball striking, then at the Tampa Bay Championship last week he was hitting 69% of greens in regulation and ranked 9th in ball striking.

Garcia has played Bay Hill on eleven occasions and has put together six Top 10’s from those starts. That is also pretty impressive.

Stats wise he is ranked 44th in driving distance, 36th in greens in regulation, 36th in strokes gained putting, 4th in scoring average, 18th in scrambling, 14th in par 4 performance and 2nd in scrambling from the rough.

At the current odds of 20/1 he represents excellent each way value. He is in form, likes the course and has the stats to back it up.

Graeme McDowell $23.00 www.sportsnews.com.au

Graeme has only had the four starts this season. He opened up his account with a missed cut at the Northern Trust Open.

From there it was all guns blazing!

A 5th place at WGC Accenture Match Play, 9th in the Honda Classic and a 3rd at the WGC Cadillac Championship. Three awesome results for a guy who seems to be really enjoying his golf in America at the moment.

His stats also stack up well. Ranked 2nd in driving accuracy, 5th in scoring average and 2nd in scrambling.

In this tournament last year he finished 2nd, so will be out to go one better this week.

Getting on a guy at 22/1 with a form line of 5th , 9th and 3rd is not a bad way to have a bet!

Good luck and good punting.