Betsided

Hero World Challenge Prediction, Odds and Betting Preview

By Iain MacMillan

Tiger Woods own event, the Hero World Challenge, is set to take place this weekend.
Tiger Woods own event, the Hero World Challenge, is set to take place this weekend. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The PGA Tour's only event in the month of December, the Hero World Challenge, is set to take place this weekend.

The tournament is one of the most unique on the PGA Tour's schedule. It's more of a tournament that resembles what other sports leagues would call an "all-star game". It only has 20 participants, and the small field is made up of the biggest golf names in the world. Even though it's an invite-only, exclusive event, it still boasts a large purse and a significant amount of OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) points are on the line as well.

Here is the full list of odds to win the event, courtesy of WynnBET.

Hero World Challenge Odds

  • Collin Morikawa +750
  • Rory McIlroy +750
  • Justin Thomas +1000
  • Viktor Hovland +1000
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1100
  • Jordan Spieth +1100
  • Xander Schauffele +1200
  • Sam Burns +1600
  • Scottie Scheffler +1600
  • Tony Finau +1800
  • Abraham Ancer +1800
  • Daniel Berger +1800
  • Webb Simpson +2000
  • Tyrrell Hatton +2200
  • Brooks Koepka +2200
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
  • Justin Rose +3000
  • Harris English +3300
  • Patrick Reed +3500
  • Henrik Stenson +5000

How to Handicap Albany Golf Course

Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas is home to the Hero World Challenge, but when it comes to an event like this where the field is made up of literally only the top golfers in the world, there's not much to handicap from a course perspective.

That motion becomes even more true when you look at the myriad of winners of the event. Short but accurate guys have won, golfers whose distance is their biggest strength of won, tee-to-green ball strikers have won. Albany GC gives opportunities for any style of golfer to find success.

Because of that fact, recent form and putting should be the things you want to look at the most. I'd stay away from golfers who haven't got at least a few events under their belt in the new season. I'd also stay away from guys who have struggled with their flat stick in the past, as that's going to be the factor that separates the winner from the rest of the field this week.

With that being said, we're keeping to basic and overarching stats for this week.

Key Stats to Handicap Hero World Challenge

  • Strokes gained: tee-to-green
  • Ball striking
  • Birdie average
  • Scrambling%
  • Strokes gained: putting

Hero World Challenge Best Bets

Xander Schauffele +1200

In what's a star-studded field, I'm going to stay away from the names at the very top of the list like Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy, due to their current odds not presenting much betting value. Instead, I'm going to back Xander Schauffele at +1200. If you've followed me on Twitter over the past couple of years, you know Schauffele is my favorite golfer to bet on in big events.

He's competed twice already this season, and he has a good history at Albany. He's competed in the event in two straight years, and has finished of 8th and 10th. With win at at the Tournament of Champions, the WGC-HSBC Champions, and the Olympics, Schauffele thrives in these small, exclusive tournaments.

Sam Burns +1600

Sam Burns has been one of the top golfers in the world over the past year, but he's still yet to get the credit he deserves from the casual fans and public. He ranked 14th in strokes gained: total and ninth in strokes gained: putting on Tour last year, which proves that he's well deserving of his spot in this event.

He's competed in four events this young season, and has already snagged a win which came at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He currently ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green. The only downside to betting on Burns, is that this will be his first year competing at the event so he doesn't have the familiarity with the course that others will have.

Brooks Koepka +2200

Brooks Koepka hasn't looked so great in the young PGA Tour season, but we all know that the four-time major winner brings it big events. With this tournament boasting a big purse and a lot of OWGR points, Koepka will come ready to play.

It's also worth noting that Koepka looked sharp in his match against Bryson DeChambeau last week, so maybe his golf game is starting to round into form. This will be his fourth time competing in this event with his best finish being a solo seventh in 2016.

Home/Golf Predictions & Picks