The PGA Tour may be on break for the Holiday season, 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. Woods was scheduled to compete in the event he’s won five times, but a sore foot forced him to withdraw with Sepp Straka taking his place. The unofficial event does not offer FedExCup points, but there is a hefty prize pool and OWGR ranking status up for grabs. Four former winners are included in the 20-man field with 2018 champ Jon Rahm opening as the betting favorite. Defending champ Viktor Hovland sits a few spots behind on the odds board with Jordan Spieth (2014) and Hideki Matsuyama (2016) the other previous winners. Visit Bookmaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager.
Odds to Win Hero World Challenge
Jon Rahm +505
Scottie Scheffler +845
Tony Finau +886
Matt Fitzpatrick +1152
Xander Schauffele +1252
Justin Thomas +1353
Viktor Hovland +1651
Sungjae Im +1658
Tommy Fleetwood +1960
Sam Burns +2061
Collin Morikawa +2095
Tom Kim +2135
Cameron Young +2257
Shane Lowry +2262
Jordan Spieth +2312
Max Homa +3050
Corey Conners +3478
Billy Horschel +3886
Kevin Kisner +8450
Odds Analysis
Tony Finau +886
It seems as though Finau has gotten quite comfortable playing at the top of the leaderboard. A consistent player who seemed to come up just short, the narrative has changed with three wins in his last seven starts vaulting Finau into elite status. And now that the ice is broken it feels like he’s a threat every time he pegs it up. Finau is one of the few players who can take advantage of the long par 5s and he has a history at Albany with three top-10s in as many starts. It’s a lot easier to do when the field is limited to 20 players, but credit Finau with a runner-up in 2018 and a hot hand coming in.
Tommy Fleetwood +1960
If you’re not paying attention to what’s going on in other Tours you could miss a good opportunity to make a few bucks. Fleetwood has been average on the PGA Tour side though he picked things up with a T4 at the CJ CUP last month rallying from an opening 73. The good vibes carried over to the DP World Tour where Fleetwood won the Nedbank Challenge in his next start and placed among the top-5 at the DP World Tour Championship two weeks ago. He hasn’t played Albany since a T3 five years ago, but he’s on a nice run of form.
Tom Kim +2135
Has anyone made a bigger splash on the PGA Tour than Kim? Maybe Woods back in the day, but it’s hard to argue Kim isn’t one of the game’s best young talents. Wins at the Wyndham Championship in August and the Shriners in October were sandwiched around an impressive Presidents Cup debut in September. He recently finished just outside the top-10 at the CJ CUP and he’s debuting here, but those obstacles have had little effect on him making Kim a solid investment at his price.
Scottie Scheffler +845
A four-time winner last season Scheffler just missed out on a fifth finishing a shot behind Hovland at Albany last year. The win wouldn’t have counted in his official Tour stats but a win is a win if it’s recognized or not. He didn’t get it, but Scheffler showed his mastery of the layout with a result that jumpstarted his impressive season. Like Finau he has the prowess to make up shots on the par 5s and it’s hard to overlook him in such a small field.
Jordan Spieth +2312
Spieth is one of the former winners taking the title the year before the tourney moved to Albany. Though he hasn’t replicated that in five starts since, he’s done well with three finishes among the top six. He’s another player with the skills to dominate the layout, but one area of concern is his lack of competition. Spieth has played only one tournament this season finishing well off the pace at the CJ CUP. However, we’ve seen players perform well after lengthy absences or poor showings in previous events and Spieth had a breakout last season with a win and two seconds.
Course: Albany Golf Club – 7,414-yards, Par-72
Playing host for a seventh straight time, the Albany Golf Club measures over 7,400 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, which allows players plenty of opportunities. And the ones that take advantage have the upper hand. We’ve had some outrageous scores during the run at Albany with every winner carding 18-under or better. In fact, four of the last five winners finished at exactly 18-under. Bubba Watson captured the hardware in 2015 with an Albany record 25-under. The course has a links feel to it, but it is more of a resort venue with generous fairways and few hazards. High 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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