Golf Tips: Best bets for Arnold Palmer, Puerto Rico and Joburg Opens

• Get our writers' best bets for all the week's big golf events

• Steve Rawlings previews and provides weekend in-play blog

• Check out Steve's outsiders to back at 100/1101.00 and bigger

• Dave Tindall has e/w and first round leader tips

• Andy Swales brings course info and form players

---

Arnold Palmer Invitational tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Scheffler fancied to rack up hat-trick

Steve Rawlings: Since coasting to a four-stroke victory in The American Express in January, Scottie Scheffler has started his next three events uncharacteristically poorly.

A 73 on day one of the Phoenix Open saw him trailing by 10 and he was 10 adrift at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the following week, where he opened the week with a 72.

It was bizarre to see the world number one start so slowly but he still managed to finish third in Phoenix, beaten by one, and fourth at Pebble, beaten by two, but after another tardy start two weeks ago, where he sat tied for 63^rd after a 74 at Riviera, he could only finish 12^th behind Jacob Bridgeman.

I like his chances again here. He's looking to win the event for a third time in five years but my pre-event bet is tiny after his last three starts. It's almost inconceivable that he can do it a fourth time in-a-row, but it doesn't make sense to lump on before the off.

Each-Way Picks: Back Henley at 30/1

Dave Tindall: I'm going back in on Henley again this year - and it's not by way of thank you. Given the requirement of an all-round game, 12 months ago Henley was a great fit. Heading to Bay Hill, he ranked 26th for SG: Approach, 19th for SG: Putting and ninth for Driving Accuracy.

In those categories this year, he's 29th for Approach, 41st for Putting and 11th for Driving Accuracy. I make it that he's just one of three in the field who rank in the top 50 for all three. Those strong numbers have helped him to an eighth (American Express) and two 19ths (Sony Open and Pebble Beach) from four starts which is decent groundwork for a big Florida Swing.

Looking at his performances in the Sunshine State, Henley has a win, a fourth and a sixth in his last five Florida starts. The win and the fourth came in the last two editions of this event. As noted last year, Henley plays tough courses well and he can cope better than most with the winds.

The former point is highlighted by his US Open record which shows four top 15s in the last five years after a 10th in 2025. As for the latter, that's backed up by fifth and 10th in the last two Open Championships. Indeed, strong links players have always done well at Bay Hill.

First Round Leader: Back Keegan Bradley @ 50/151.00

Dave Tindall: Keegan Bradley is a big fan of Bay Hill.

Starting with a pair of top threes way back in 2013 and 2014, he's made 13 straight cuts and his last four visits show four top 11s, including fifth last year.

Fast starts have been part of the deal too. Last year's US Ryder Cup skipper was second after 18 holes in both 2025 and 2019, while he also has FRL positions of fifth (2023) and seventh twice.

He's been a little inconsistent in his four PGA Tour starts this season but at Pebble Beach he opened with a 63 to lie second following the opening lap while he's played some good stuff in TGL, helping Boston Common top the regular season standings.

Bradley, an afternoon starter at 12:35pm local, is the headline bet at 50s (1/4 Odds, 5 Places). 

Course and current form stats

Current Form Pick:

Shane Lowry will have been a bit disappointed with blowing a third round lead at the Cognizant Classic last week but his runner-up finish there means he's enjoying a good time of it of late with a top 10 and top 25 finish in the two preceding weeks. He commenced his year with a third place finish at the Dubai Invitational so he has some good recent form to his name, and at Bay Hill has has finished third and seventh in his last two visits.

---

Puerto Rico Open tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Back Chad Ramey @ 60.0

Steve Rawlings: Chad Ramey finished fifth here on debut in 2022, three weeks before he won the Corales Puntacana, and he finished 26^th last year, on only his second visit, after a poor final round saw him slip from 13th after round three.

His 2022 form figures prior to his course debut read MC-MC-39-MC-28-MC and his 2025 numbers read MC-MC-48-MC-34-MC prior to last year's 26^th.

He'd ended 2021 and 2024 weakly too so the fact that he finished second at the World Wide Technology in November and that he's made his last six cuts should bode well.

He finished a respectable 17^th at the Cognizant Classic last week and is a fair price at 60.059/1.

Course and current form stats

Course Form Pick:

A winner at the Australian Open as recently as December, this Danish player will be aiming to go one better than his second placed finish here 12 months ago. His best finish this year saw him come 19th at the Dubai Invititational but his performance here last year, which included a final round -9, bodes well for his chances this week.

---

Joburg Open tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Van Tonder the only pre-event pick

Steve Rawlings: Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis have both won back-to-back this season, Angel Ayora has bags of potential, and Hennie Du Plessis is in fabulous form but it's a little bit surprising to see all four of them trading at shorter than the major champion in the line-up, Patrick Reed, who has current form figures reading 1-2-1-28.

Reed looks like the best value at the head of the market at 16/117.00 but the only one I'm chancing before the off is Daniel Van Tonder, who has course form figures reading 3-MC-5.

The prolific 34-year-old has won 14 times on the Sunshine Tour, twice on the HotelPlanner Tour and once on the DP World Tour.

He caught the eye in the South African Open last week, where he finished sixth after a slow start, ranking sixth for Putting Average, and he looks big enough to chance at 60.059/1 given he's no bigger than 40/141.00 on the High Street.

Course and current form stats

Current Form Pick:

Casey Jarvis was already in decent form, finishing 13th and ninth in the space of a few weeks, but his form has gone up to another level in recent weeks, winning both the Kenya Open and South African Open back-to-back, and he's now ranked number 80 in the world after being ranked 200th just last month. Last week's South African Open win in his homeland would have been very special, and he'd love nothng more to complete a hat-trick of wins by winning on home soil again this week.

---

Now start your Augusta preparations with a US Masters 2026 betting preview

---