Sleeper Picks: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

Carlos Ortiz … What a debut in a World Golf Championships event and in his homeland no less. Two weeks ago, the 28-year-old from Mexico finished T16 at Club de Golf Chapultepec with consistently strong iron play, ranking T14 in greens hit and fifth in proximity. Before you chalk it up to a comfort level, he already had registered three top fives in the fall to lock up his card for next season. Aside from chasing exemptions into other marquee competitions, the hole on the résumé remains in the win column. He finished T21 at Bay Hill in 2015 and T29 in 2019, but given his form and expanding skill set, perhaps the third time is the proverbial charm. It’s also a milestone of sorts in that this is his 100th career start as a PGA TOUR member (and 103rd overall). Doc Redman … Bay Hill sets up as a potential boon for the tee-to-green specialist. The perspective was similar when he appeared as a Sleeper for the Houston Open and placed T13. Currently sixth on the season in total driving, 12th in fairways hit, T21 in greens in regulation and T24 in proximity to the hole. The bonus is that he’s T23 in par-4 scoring. And despite the fact that the 22-year-old is a first-time PGA TOUR member, he played this tournament as an amateur in 2018. In what his first-ever appearance on TOUR, he finished 71st. Brian Harman … When we think of the diminutive lefty contending somewhere, cozy tracks spring to mind, yet he’s connected for three top 20s in eight appearances at Bay Hill. He’s also missed four cuts, which helps explain why the long par 72 isn’t on our short list. Nevertheless, he’s putting his consecutive cuts-made streak of seven on the line, so there’s positive momentum upon arrival. Two of those performances yielded top 25s; he has five on the season. Reliable accuracy of the tee, precision on approach, a scorer’s mentality with the putter and a balanced attack on par 3s, par 4s and par 5s all contribute to his position of 23rd in adjusted scoring. Kevin Chappell … It’s been almost six months now since he became the latest to signed for a sub-60 on the PGA TOUR. Alas, his second-round 59 at Greenbrier was his only score south of 71 en route to a T47. The only other bright spot in his return to competition following back surgery was at Pebble Beach where he still managed a T25 despite 74s in the last two rounds. He’s not striking it tee to green anywhere close to his standard, but Bay Hill has brought out the best in him. After missing his first edition last year after seven consecutive, he’s buoyed by the coincidence that 2020 is an even number. See, in each of the first four even-numbered years he’s appeared, he’s finished a respective T24, T14, second and T7. In between, he went MC-MC-T49. It’s an oddity that may not necessarily build confidence, but it sure can’t hurt it. Rob Oppenheim … The 40-year-old is on his third try with a PGA TOUR card. He failed to keep it the first two times. However, as the career twilight acts as a magnet for most light-hitting knockers of a certain age, he’s already matched or established modest season-bests with one top 10 (T9, Puerto Rico Open) and four top 25s. Found at 117th in the FedExCup, the Orlando resident and product of nearby Rollins College is making his third start at Bay Hill, all via a sponsor exemption. He placed T20 in his debut in 2016. It was his second-best finish in 21 starts as a PGA TOUR rookie. He has his moments, good and bad, but for the season he’s 39th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 24th in scrambling. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

Click here to read the full article…