The PGA Tour may be on break for the Holidays but that doesn’t mean the world of professional golf is taking time off. A select group of the best players in the world gathers this week in the Bahamas for the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge. World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler is a heavy favorite in the outright market as he looks to put a bow on a scintillating year. With seven PGA titles in 2024, Scheffler hasn’t pegged it up since Team USA’s decisive Presidents Cup victory in September. The unofficial event does not offer FedExCup points, but there is a hefty prize pool and OWGR ranking status up for grabs. Eight golfers are making their debut in this event and the 20-man field contains nine of the top 20 players in the world. Still, Scheffler’s dominance this year sets him apart from everyone else. And he’s been good in this tournament with a pair of runner-up finishes just prior to last year’s victory. Visit Bookmaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager.
Hero World Challenge Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler +215
Ludvig Aberg +1025
Justin Thomas +1115
Sungjae Im +1415
Patrick Cantlay +1550
Sam Burns +1600
Russell Henley +1700
Tom Kim +2300
Akshay Bhatia +2400
Aaron Rai +2400
Sahith Theegala +2850
Cameron Young +2850
Wyndham Clark +2950
Robert MacIntyre +3050
Sepp Straka +3050
Jason Day +3250
Keegan Bradley +3350
Brian Harman +3542
Nick Dunlap +4850
Matthieu Pavon +9350
Odds Analysis
Akshay Bhatia +2400
One of the many making his debut in this event, Bhatia is no stranger to the tropical island having won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Exuma Classic in 2022. He didn’t play in the FedExCup Fall but got some work in with a runner-up at the Japan Tour’s Dunlop Phoenix Tournament last month. A magnificent ball striker with impeccable accuracy, Bhatia has the goods to go low at Albany.
Nick Dunlap +4850
There’s always a chance someone plays above their head and sneaks up on the limited field. Dunlap has the second longest odds and is worth the risk considering he has nothing to lose, so to speak. He won twice on Tour claiming the AMX in January and more recently the Barracuda Championship and he opened the playoffs with a T5 at the FedEx St. Jude. Players like Dunlap can easily throw a wrench in the plans of the favorites.
Aaron Rai +2400
Rai stood out in one metric that should be a boost this week. He is the Tour’s most accurate driver and on a resort course where ball placement is encouraged this will be helpful. Everything came to together for him in the second half of the year with five top 10s, including the title at the Wyndham Championship, among eight top 20s in his last 13 starts around the globe.
Scottie Scheffler +215
It’s hard not to back Scheffler even at this price. Not only did he win seven times on Tour this year, he also won Olympic gold and was on the winning Presidents Cup squad. And he’s finished no lower than second in three tries at Albany. The 20-player field also makes it less likely that someone will sneak up on him. I had some doubts about backing him since he hasn’t played competitively in several months, but Scheffler is the best in the world for a reason.
Sahith Theegala +2850
I had success backing Theegala in matchups during the regular season and I feel he’s due for victory considering how consistently good he’s been. He does everything well and should feast on this course in his debut. He hasn’t played since the ZOZO Championship but closed with four top 10s in his last eight starts giving him nine top 10 showings this year.
Course: Albany Golf Course – 7,449 yards, Par 72
Playing host for the ninth straight time, the Albany Golf Course measures nearly 7,500 yards and is a relatively long par 72, but by no means is it a difficult play for some of the best in the world. Scoring on the par 5s is a must to be in contention and there are five of them allowing players plenty of opportunities. And the ones that take advantage have the upper hand. We’ve seen some outrageous scores during the run at Albany with every winner carding 16-under or better. At 20-under last year Scheffler matched the second-lowest score at Albany to only Bubba Watson’s record 25-under in the Albany debut in 2015. The course has a links feel to it, but it is more of a resort venue with generous fairways and few hazards. Strong coastal winds are always a factor and the elements will be more of an issue for the field than the course itself.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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