We’ve arrived at the finish line! Well, it’s the first of three, really, but the imminent reset is revitalizing.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard is the last of 10 tournaments contributing to Segment 1 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by PGA TOUR Superstore. This means that you don’t have to think about roster management. All golfers will be replenished with three starts when Segment 2 launches with THE PLAYERS Championship next week.

Because of injuries to Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, and because Rory McIlroy has played just twice, juggling starts hasn’t been a hassle for our favorite charges. Consider that Scheffler was in position to make as many as six starts in Segment 1 until he sliced his hand on Christmas Day. His title defense at Bay Hill Club & Lodge is just his fourth of 2025.

As the trio reunites for the first time this year, each presents an angle considerably different from the other, yet all remain hot commodities. McIlroy (72.8% as of Tuesday afternoon), Scheffler (67.1%) and Schauffele (42.5%) slot a respective first, second and fourth in ownership percentage. At 60.6%, Ludvig Åberg is third. The Swede deserves it, so Schauffele’s split speaks more to the concern in his return from injury. With a 36-hole cut this week, it’s even more understandable. More on all of these guys below.

Meanwhile, because it can be easy to chase only the brightest of lights, the sharpest of forms and horses for the course, it’s just as easy to overlook notables on whom we rely almost as often as the cornerstones of this week. Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama and many others present just as much punch and should not be marginalized as relative favorites to prevail and pay off 70 FedExCup bonus points for the victory in the Signature Event.

If this week’s winner at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge isn’t McIlroy, Scheffler or Åberg, then very few gamers will have connected with their captain for victory. Accepting that as a reasonable possibility, the difference in fantasy will be in the trenches that consist of the other three guys on your roster. And if you subscribe to the “not-McIlroy/Scheffler/Åberg” win, then designate another household name as your captain. The timing is superb.

Captain

Rory McIlroy … As loyalists are aware, my third rule of playing fantasy golf is to remain fluid. So, yeah, this qualifies!

When I wrote the primer for the fantasy game in mid-December, I didn’t think that I’d be in position to be enticed to consider anyone else but Scottie Scheffler as my captain every time I rostered him. But then he injured his hand and started late. He returned with a T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am won by McIlroy, so the 2018 champ at Bay Hill has the early edge on the winner of the 2022 and 2024 editions. That works for me.

If I was the front-runner in my little league – I’m second; look for my weekly table on Wednesday with the standings on X – Scheffler would get the call here, but my rank warrants what presents as a surprising pivot to McIlroy because both guys should contend for the title. Moments to opt for the edge route without much risk emerge infrequently.

Other considerations

• Scottie Scheffler … Duh.
• Ludvig Åberg … As cold and calculated an outside move that chasers ever would want right now. In winning The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, he took the next big step at fulfilling the kind of limitless promise that he’s generated. Taking down the likes of McIlroy and Scheffler at Bay Hill would be another.

Rounding out the roster

Outside of McIlroy and Scheffler for whom this start was planned, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I had at least one start remaining for all of the others inside the top six in my Power Rankings when I set my roster.

My starters

• Rory McIlroy (C)
• Shane Lowry
• Scottie Scheffler
• Justin Thomas

My bench

• Ludvig Åberg (1)
• Russell Henley (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Harris English ... He’s No. 11 in my Power Rankings but there’s little reason to give him a go in fantasy what with the considerable depth in the field of 72. Sets up as much more impactful in DFS.
• Sahith Theegala ... No. 13 in the Power Rankings because he’s risen to the challenge at Bay Hill in the last two editions. However, he’s enduring uncharacteristic inconsistency this season despite a 6-for-6 start. Because of the format of the tournament with a limited field and given his likelihood to cash, there’s an argument for inclusion for chasers.
• Sam Burns ... Finished T9 at Bay Hill in 2022, but it’s his only top 25 in seven tries. He’s had moments, but the sample size demands respect. For observation only.
• Sungjae Im ... He was in this space last week and missed the cut on the number. He’s now 2-for-4 and without a top 30 since Pebble Beach. With no worse than a pair of T21s in six tries at Bay Hill, there’s reason to believe that he’ll regain control of his game, but reserve him for fractional considerations in DFS.

Returning to competition

Xander Schauffele ... Making his fourth start at Bay Hill and still in search of his first top 20. He’s been sidelined by an acute intercostal strain since early January and felt ready to start practicing in earnest only within the last two weeks. While he’s in the rarest of positions (for him) as a contrarian in fantasy and DFS, more notably perhaps is that his consecutive cuts-made streak of 57 is in play. Flirt with that prop in markets where available. Also be advised that he’s scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday, so he might share some intel that can be of assistance for our purposes.

Notable WDs

Jackson Suber ... As of Tuesday afternoon, the rookie is among eight who withdrew after the commitment deadline and who didn’t qualify for the Arnold Palmer Invitational via the Aon Next 10 or Aon Swing 5. However, he’s the only of his subset of WDs who sits inside the last bubble for entry into THE PLAYERS Championship next week. As detailed in the latest edition of Qualifiers, there are 131 automatic qualifiers for the PGA TOUR’s flagship event. After the winners of both tournaments this weekend are added, if not already eligible, the current FedExCup standings will be used to fill the field in order. At 93rd, Suber is not in jeopardy of getting bumped, so he’s resting ahead of his debut at TPC Sawgrass.

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