Golf Tips
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Justin Thomas to win
Shane Lowry to win (each-way)
Russell Henley to win (each-way)
Joburg Open
Daniel Brown to win (each-way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Justin Thomas to win
With Cognizant Classic and Players Championship titles to his name, Justin Thomas is halfway towards completing the Florida Swing set. It is perhaps a surprise that he is yet to win at Bay Hill, given the elite approach play he has displayed throughout his career.
2023 was a horror show for Thomas, while 2024 saw him graft his way back towards his best. Now, the two-time PGA champion is set to compete regularly at the top end. He signed off last year with a T2 and a third-place finish, and already has three top 10s this season.
His irons deserted him two years ago, but they are firing again, along with much improved driving, which was never a strong point, even in Thomas’s pomp.
The former world number one’s Arnold Palmer Invitational results have improved with each visit. After coming T12 a year ago, victory will be a realistic target this week, and his odds to achieve that are appealing.
Shane Lowry to win (each-way)
Tied for the lead heading into the final round at Bay Hill last year, Shane Lowry is no stranger to contending in Florida, where he owns a property and spends much of his time.
Since becoming the Open champion, the closest the Irishman has come to winning a solo PGA Tour title was at PGA National in Palm Beach in 2022. T11 there last week, Lowry has become a reliable player in the Sunshine State.
He has ranked in the top 25 on the tour for strokes gained on approach every year since the turn of the decade. The one time he managed to putt well this year, he finished second behind Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach.
Lowry only needed a slightly above-average putting week at Bay Hill in 2024 to give himself a shot at topping the leaderboard. With the other aspects of his game in excellent shape, it may come down to the flat stick again, but at the odds quoted, it is worth taking that chance.
Russell Henley to win (each-way)
Bombers have succeeded at Bay Hill, but it is by no means a prerequisite, as Kurt Kitayama proved in 2023 by finding more fairways and greens than anybody else.
Another former winner, Tyrrell Hatton, averaged just 287 yards off the tee en route to lifting the trophy in 2020.
Accurate drivers with a quality short game are very much in the running, which brings Russell Henley into play. The American, whose profile was also a good fit at PGA National where he came T6 last week, has triumphed twice on Bermudagrass on the PGA Tour and putted superbly at this event last year.
Having represented the USA at the Presidents Cup, Henley will be eyeing the Ryder Cup and knows he needs to perform at competitions like this if that is going to happen.
Joburg Open
Daniel Brown to win (each-way)
Englishman Daniel Brown defied a terrible run of form to take first round leader honours at the Open Championship last summer, and has come close to victory on three separate occasions since, most recently in Bahrain last month.
He followed the T2 at Royal Golf Club with another top 10 in Qatar before skipping events in Nairobi and Durban.
Some of Brown’s best results on the DP World Tour have come off the back of similar layoffs. Most notably, his ISPS Handa World Invitational success in 2023 came after a T17, T7, and a month off.
2025 promises to be a big year for Brown, and he played well last time he visited Houghton Golf Club, posting a T17 in 2023.
This week’s golf tips
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Justin Thomas to win
Shane Lowry to win (each-way)
Russell Henley to win (each-way)
Joburg Open
Daniel Brown to win (each-way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Read More
- Head over to Paddy Power News for the best Golf Betting Tips and News
- When is the Masters? 2025 dates for Augusta Golf major
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
