The 2 players to back at the Hero World Challenge: PGA Preview & Tips

The Hero Work Challenge is now a traditional fixture at this time of year. The event always draws a number of well-known names – even if this year its founder and multiple winner, Tiger Woods, is absent with a foot injury.

Here’s a preview of the action from the Golf Insider…

Hero World Challenge: The Tournament 

Started in 1999, the World Challenge is an end-of-year contest for a select field of the world’s top players (previously 18 went to post, now we have 20 golfers in the line-up). It has tended to plug a gap in the regular PGA Tour schedule, and filled the void for sponsors and TV stations alike. And while this isn’t an official tournament, in terms of ranking points, it’s still a useful way for those golfers in the field to significantly upgrade their bank balance.

Prizemoney $3.5m ($1m to the winner)

Field 20

Highest ranked players Scheffler (2), Rahm (5), Schauffele (6), Thomas (8), Fitzpatrick (9), Morikawa (10).

2021 result
-18 Victor Hovland ($12)
-17 Scottie Scheffler ($17)
-15 Sam Burns ($17)
-15 Patrick Reed ($29)
-14 Collin Morikawa ($10)
-14 Justin Thomas ($11)

Other recent winners
Cancelled (2020)
Henrik Stenson (2019)
Jon Rahm (2018)
Rickie Fowler (2017)
Hideki Matsuyama (2016)

Hero World Challenge: The Course

After initially moving from California to Florida, the current venue for the World Challenge is the Albany course, located at New Providence in the Bahamas. Designed by Ernie Els it’s a par 72 laid out over 7,302 yards. Opened in 2010 it has hosted this tournament since 2015 and, according to the architect himself, it’s a well-bunkered, links-style course… although with an unusual five pars 5’s (standard for an 18-hole course is 3 or 4) there’s the opportunity to score well.

72 hole record 262: Jordan Spieth (2014)

18 hole record 61: Justin Rose (2017)

Hero World Challenge: The Weather

A predominantly dry week is expected with a daily precipitation forecast of 10%-40%-10%-10% over the course of the tournament. Temperatures will be in the mid 80s, with partial cloud cover all week. Maximum wind speeds will peak around 20-22mph during the four days.

Hero World Challenge: The Bets

These are two of the each-way outright bets from the Golf Insider. Members receive all of his best bets for all markets – win and each-way, Top 10, Top 20, Round 1 Leader and 3-Ball groups. He covers every tournament on the PGA and European Tours.

Jon Rahm: $5.50 with TopSport

This is a tough event to assess. A lot of players come to the Bahamas with either poor form or, worse still, no form at all! And given the size and quality of the field, we’re not hugely compensated for this lack of current form with odds in the market – with more than half the field 20/1 or less. We also have more than a third of the field visiting Albany GC for the first time, again not ideal. Backing Rahm is therefore a bet that kind of picks itself. No, not a price point I would prefer to regularly play at, but he did the job for us in Dubai at this mark, and if playing to the same standard as he finished at the Earth Course, then the Spaniard will surely be in the shake-up come Sunday.

$5.50

Tony Finau: $9.50 with TopSport

Finau is certainly making up for lost time in terms of winning PGA Tour events. One career win in six years on tour, followed by four wins since August 2021 – three of them coming in the last four months! The latest of these came in his last start in the Houston Open, where Finau ranked 1st for both Driving Accuracy and GIR, 2nd for Putting. So we know he’s playing well right now. Add in previous form here at Albany (2-10-7) and it would seem logical to expect another bold effort against a field that comes here in a mixed bag of form, and some who have seen little action recently.

$9.50