By LOGAN RIPLEY

ORLANDO, Florida - Bay Hill is a staple in the Orlando Area and is looked at as one of the class events of the PGA Tour season, a great lasting memory for the king of golf, Arnold Palmer.

*The finishing hole at Bay Hill, where champions are made. (Photo by Bayhill.com)*

The Schedule is getting harder and harder for the shorter hitters, as solid long iron play is needed to score well here. Only four players finished under-par last year and if the wind is close to what it was during the practice round, it could be more of the same. Compiling the stats on long iron approach and 200+ yards out, paved the way for my lineup this week.

Here are my layman’s looks and best bets for your DraftKings lineup:

The Horse -

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU ($11K)

At a steep price, it was between the powerlifter with the huge size or the mighty mouse, Rory McIlroy, to fill my top spot. I have a sour taste in my mouth from Rory’s missed cut at Riviera which cost me a money spot so I flipped to Bryson. His long game is the X-Factor this week and I hope he showcases it, going for the Par 5 6th in one. Talk about strokes gained off the tee. I think his long game coupled with his immaculate ability to escape and get up and down makes him a lock for a top 5 and maybe his first win since the 2020 US Open.

2nd Tiers -

JORDAN SPIETH ($9.3K) / PAUL CASEY ($9.1K)

Spieth has been on fire of late and now is not the time to fade him. I did that at Riviera and it was a wash but could have been worse if not for the crazy wind that derailed his tournament in round 3. I see him moving back to the top of the leaderboard but at worst a top 15 finish which would be his fourth straight.

Casey is in the same boat as Spieth, great form of late but nothing of substance before that. He has been top ten in his past two tournaments and had a week off to rest up in preparation for this challenge. Ball-striking is no issue for Casey and I think he will thrive this week. If you don’t trust me maybe you will him.

"You must play boldly to win.” I will Mr Palmer.#respect #theking #api #bayhill @apinv pic.twitter.com/MfQrT1O96F
— Paul Casey (@Paul_Casey) March 4, 2021

Layman’s Trio Finish -

MATTHEW NESMITH ($6.9K) / KEITH MITCHELL ($6.7K) / SUNG KANG ($6.3K)

This is where you can make up some on the field… do your research and take a shot, or three. Three wild card picks here are why it’s called gambling.

NeSmith ranks 9th in Strokes Gained Approach to the Green, which bodes well for him at Bay Hill. I’m banking on another ball-striker to carry me, but also his play his last there tournaments. A T7 at the Waste Management was his best performance so far but he backed that up with two top 20s. Hoping this flyer will hit.

Mitchell and Kang are my years past picks. They both finished top 10 in 2020 at this event and I see them being near the top again. The weekend was rough for Kang last year but another year wiser and I think he can hang around near the top if he gets hot. Mitchell was a T5 finisher and Bay Hill seems to fit his eye. He hasn’t shown much this season but with low ownership I’m going for another unknown to land for me.

Hopefully we catch a little magic this week and turn $5 into $50k!

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