It wasn't exactly a Sunday stumble, but Rory McIlroy's quiet one-under 71 on Sunday at the WGC-Workday was the latest in a long line of uninspiring final-round performances from the Northern Irishman. Still, his history in Florida and a few strong showings of late have him pegged as the solo favorite at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy (9-1) has now gone 27 months since his last worldwide victory, which came at the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions. That was his fifth victory in a 20-month stretch, a stretch that began with his incredible win at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational. The four-time major champ shot a final-round 64 to beat Bryson DeChambeau by three that week. DeChambeau, who is coming off another middling performance at The Concession, is the second favorite at 12-1. In four API starts, DeChambeau has two top-five finishes.
Also at 12-1 is Viktor Hovland, whose Sunday heroics weren't enough to chase down Collin Morikawa at the WGC. But it was enough for a T-2, his fourth top-five finish in his last five starts, including his Mayakoba victory. That would explain why he's now being priced among the elite, even checking in before defending champion Tyrrell Hatton (16-1), the equally hot Patrick Reed (16-1) and the bermuda greens god Sungjae Im (20-1). Matthew Fitzpatrick, who has finished ninth and runner-up here in his last two trips, may be the most enticing play on the board at 25-1.
Arnold Palmer Invitational 2021 odds (courtesy of William Hill, as of Monday afternoon)
Rory McIlroy: 9-1 (bet $10 to win $90)
Bryson DeChambeau: 12-1
Viktor Hovland: 12-1
Tyrrell Hatton: 16-1
Patrick Reed: 20-1
Sungjae Im: 20-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick: 25-1
Paul Casey: 28-1
Hideki Matsuyama: 28-1
Jordan Spieth: 30-1
Francesco Molinari: 30-1
Jason Day: 33-1
Louis Oosthuizen: 35-1
Billy Horschel: 35-1
Sam Burns: 40-1
Tommy Fleetwood: 40-1
Marc Leishman: 40-1
Harris English: 45-1
Will Zalatoris: 45-1
Jason Kokrak: 45-1
Kevin Na: 50-1
Max Homa: 50-1
Cameron Tringale: 60-1
Justin Rose: 60-1
Branden Grace: 66-1
Rickie Fowler: 66-1
Kevin Kisner: 70-1
Cameron Davis: 70-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout: 70-1
Talor Gooch: 80-1
Lanto Griffin: 80-1
Adam Hadwin: 80-1
Robert Macintyre: 80-1
Si-Woo Kim: 80-1
Shane Lowry: 100-1
Maverick McNealy: 100-1
Chris Kirk: 100-1
Wyndham Clark: 100-1
J.T. Poston: 100-1
Matt Jones: 100-1
Emiliano Grillo: 100-1
Matt Wallace: 100-1
Luke List: 100-1
Henrik Stenson: 100-1
Ian Poulter: 100-1
Brendon Todd: 100-1
Corey Conners: 100-1
Charley Hoffman: 100-1
Victor Perez: 100-1
Lee Westwood: 100-1
Patton Kizzire: 125-1
Henrik Norlander: 125-1
Brendan Steele: 125-1
Keith Mitchell: 125-1
Matthew NeSmith: 125-1
Alex Noren: 125-1
John Huh: 125-1
Keegan Bradley: 125-1
Cameron Percy: 125-1
Zach Johnson: 125-1
Nick Taylor: 125-1
Byeong Hun An: 125-1
Andrew Putnam: 125-1
Russell Knox: 125-1
Sebastian Munoz: 125-1
Cameron Champ: 150-1
Dylan Frittelli: 150-1
Lucas Glover: 150-1
Doug Ghim: 150-1
Rory Sabbatini: 150-1
Bernd Wiesberger: 150-1
Brandt Snedeker: 150-1
Charles Howell III: : 150-1
Patrick Rodgers: 150-1
Charl Schwartzel: 150-1
Danny Willett: 150-1
Aaron Wise: 150-1
Chez Reavie: 150-1
Erik Van Rooyen: 150-1
Sung Kang: 150-1
K.H. Lee: 150-1
Joel Dahmen: 150-1
Harold Varner III: 150-1
Tom Hoge: 200-1
Steve Stricker: 200-1
Martin Laird: 200-1
Adam Long: 200-1
Kyle Stanley: 200-1
Peter Malnati: 200-1
Will Gordon: 200-1
Graeme McDowell: 200-1
Sepp Straka: 200-1
Doc Redman: 200-1
Mark Hubbard: 250-1
Robby Shelton: 250-1
Bo Hoag: 250-1
Hudson Swafford: 250-1
Danny Lee: 250-1
Kramer Hickok: 250-1
Padraig Harrington: 300-1
Jason Dufner: 300-1
Richy Werenski: 300-1
Anirban Lahiri: 300-1
Brian Stuard: 300-1
Denny McCarthy: 300-1
Jazz Janewattananond: 300-1
Austin Cook: 300-1
Brian Gay: 300-1
C.T. Pan: 300-1
Kristoffer Ventura: 300-1
Tyler McCumber: 400-1
Camilo Villegas: 400-1
Tyler Duncan: 400-1
Matt Every: 500-1
John Augenstein: 500-1
Matthias Schmid: 500-1
Robert Streb: 500-1
Jim Herman: 500-1
Kamaiu Johnson: 1,500-1
Tim Herron: 1,500-1
Paul Goydos: 2,000-1
Rod Perry: 2,000-1
Robert Gamez: 4,000-1