The final PGA Tour event of the year is upon us with some of the biggest names in golf set to tee it up at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas.
The event is now hosted annually by Tiger Woods but the 15-time major champion isn't taking part this week due to his ongoing recovery from back surgery.
Although Woods' absence is a bitter blow, a stellar field has been confirmed for the event with Scottie Scheffler set for his first appearance in a strokeplay event in over three months.
A prize of $1,000,000 is up for grabs for whoever wins the event but it won't be an easy task. Yes, there may only be 20 players in the field this week but 17 of those are all inside the world's top 30 and the other three are Sepp Straka (last year's runner-up), Jason Day and Jordan Spieth.
Previous form around Albany will be key when it comes to overcoming such a strong field as will form leading into the tournament. While the course isn't the most difficult in the world, the greens are significantly smaller to the average PGA Tour greens so good approach play will be important.
Ahead of the first day of action tomorrow, here are our Hero World Challenge betting tips.
Australian Open betting tips
Scottie Scheffler – 29/10
Will Scottie Scheffler have any ring rust coming into this one? When you hit the ball as purely as he does that feels very unlikely and we anticipate that he will simply pick up where left off after lifting the Tour Championship back in September.
Scheffler has everything you would want for someone looking to win this event. First of all, he has previous experience of excelling around Albany. He has played here three times and has finished inside the top two in each of those appearances.
He is the defending champion for a reason and that's because this golf course rewards accurate iron and wedge players. Nobody on the PGA Tour last season gained more strokes than Scheffler and his reliable iron play makes him the firm favourite with all top golf betting sites.
Justin Thomas – 10/1
The only player in the field this week who can talk to Scottie Scheffler when it comes to previous form at Albany is Justin Thomas. The two-time PGA Championship winner has finished inside the top six on three occasions in this event which makes him more than a dark horse this week.
Thomas had a better 2024 when compared to his miserable 2023 so he is trending in the right direction even if he isn't back to his absolute best. In his most recent appearance, the 31-year-old finished in his a tie for second place at the Zozo Championship so there is some form coming into Albany, too.
Like Scheffler, Thomas has had a good year with his irons which automatically makes him a contender this week. He ranks ninth for the year on srokes gained on approach shots.
Aaron Rai – 22/1
One player to watch out of this week is Englishman, Aaron Rai. The 29-year-old has enjoyed the best season of his career to date in 2024 and could round it off with his best-ever win. Rai broke his PGA Tour duck in August, winning the Wyndham Championship and has enjoyed several other other top-ten finishes.
Although this is Rai's debut at the Hero World Challenge, he already looks at home around Albany. He won the Hero Shot challenge at the beginning of the week where players are tasked with hitting the ball at a target, with points being given to those who get it the closest to the centre.
While that win may not feel important, it did demonstrate how accurate Rai is with his irons and wedges, something that will be important this week when attacking the small greens around Albany. This year, he ranks inside the top ten for greens in regulation percentage and strokes gained on approach shots.
Hero World Challenge tips
- Scottie Scheffler – 29/10 @ Kwiff
- Justin Thomas – 10/1 @ Kwiff
- Aaron Rai – 22/1 @ Kwiff
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
