The PGA Tour signs off for 2022 with this week’s Hero Worldwide Challenge at the Albany Golf Club, New Province Bahamas.
It’s a star-studded line up in the Bahamas with eighteen of the World’s Top Ranked 25 players on show.
Only 20 players will be competing this week for a share of the $3.5M prize purse with the winner collecting the Hero Worldwide Challenge Title and a winner’s cheque for $1M.
As I’m writing this the host Tiger Woods has just announced he has withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury to his right foot.
One player who will be attending is the defending champion Viktor Hovland who won this event in 2021 with a winning scorecard reading 270, -18.
This stunning Albany Golf Course will be playing 7,302 yards long this week, it’s a par 72 links /desert style track where the key to success will involve power and precision with a hot putter pivotal with so many birdie opportunities on offer.
The weather is forecast to be sunny and warm for the opening and final rounds with showers and cloudy conditions forecast on Friday and Saturday. Breezes are expected to peak at around 22mph which will pose some problems around this open layout.
This event will be screened on Sky Sports Golf & Sky Sports Main Event with live coverage starting at 6.30 pm on Thursday evening .
Sungjae Im 16/1 EW
For my first and main selection in the Bahamas, I’m going to single out Sungjae Im 16/1 EW. Paddy Power.
The talented 24yrs old super kid from South Korea hasn’t won an event in 2022 but has come close on more than a few occasions. He finished runner-up at the Tour Championship, the Wyndham Championship and also the 3M Open.
He has thirteen Top 20 finishes in twenty-four attempts this year with eight of those being inside the Top 10 so it’s fair to say that even without the W he has still been a model of consistency. T8th at The Masters in April is another notable performance worth a mention but this kid knows how to win having won an event for the past two years running.
Winner at the Shriners Children’s Open in 2021 and victorious at The Honda Classic in 2020 where he incidentally finished runner-up at The Masters the same year, I just have a feeling that Sungjae Im is going to finish the year on a high with another victory in the bag when he’s crowned the Hero Worldwide Challenge this Sunday evening in New Province .
Scottie Scheffler 8/1 EW Bet365
For my next best betting tip at Albany, I’m going to point you all in the direction of Scottie Scheffler 8/1 EW Bet365. I’ve lost count of how many times Scottie has done the business for both him and us this year but I did tell you it was going to happen before he won his maiden title at the Phoenix Open in February.
I also mentioned that when he finally had that monkey off his back that many more would follow and Scottie Scheffler certainly hasn’t disappointed. He then won the Arnold Palmer Invitational followed by the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay in only a matter of weeks.
Heading to Augusta with this stunning form would only mean one thing for the 26yrs old from New Jersey. The famous Green Jacket was going to be adorned on one man’s shoulders as Scheffler scooped his first major when winning The Masters with three strokes to spare over his nearest challenger Rory McIlroy.
That impressive run of form would take Scottie to the highest of peaks when he became the World No1 and this would remain the case for months before Rory eventually took back his crown. With performances like that you can only visage a bag full of stats, On the PGA Tour this year, Scottie Scheffler ranks 6th SG Off The Tee, 3rd Lowest Round, 2nd Proximity to Hole from Sand and 1st Scrambling from the Fringe.
These are key ingredients for the perfect recipe as Scottie Scheffler finishes the year just as it began with yet another W on the menu, Scottie Scheffler, take a bow for what’s been a phenomenal year for both us and him.
Corey Conners 40/1 EW Skybet
For my next selection, I’m going to look for some good old value and single out one of the ranked outsiders. Now in my book with only twenty competitors this week or nineteen as the case may be if a replacement isn’t found for Tiger Woods, this is the perfect opportunity for someone like Corey Conners 40/1 EW Skybet to land the big odds.
In such a small field I’m not believing that the 30yrs old Canadian should be way up the pack and it could be a classic case of the bookies pricing up the markets without doing their homework.
I’m always doing my homework as you know only too well and the 40/1 on offer for a player who can strike the ball as well as any seems a tad overpriced in my book although I’m certainly not complaining and neither should you.
A few performances worth a mention this year include 3rd at the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay, T5th at the BMW Championship,6th at the RBC Canadian Open and probably best of all , T6th at The Masters in April .
Without a win since bagging the Valero Texas Open in 2019, this may be my only concern but Conners has hit the bar on far too many occasions to mention and certainly has the game to compete amongst the best, that’s why he’s here competing this week.
My advice is to take the 40/1 on offer while it’s available safe in the knowledge that a place in the Top 5, that’s a quarter of this field as it will return a tidy profit at around 10/1 if not winning outright but he’s got as good a chance as any to land the Hero Worldwide Challenge this weekend in the Bahamas sunshine.
For my final PGA selection this year, it’s the customary Match bet. I’m going to finish the year with another SuperBanker Nap and in sticking with another who’s done us proud this year, Matt Fitzpatrick to beat Sam Burns over 72 holes .
Fitzy’s hotter than ever putter should see him over the line on this occasion at 4/5 with Bet365.
Hero World Challenge Best Bets
- Sungjae Im 16/1 EW
- Scottie Scheffler 8/1 EW Bet365
- Corey Conners 40/1 EW Skybet
- Matt Fitzpatrick to beat Sam Burns over 72 holes 4/5 Bet365
The post Golf Betting Tips: Hero World Challenge Best Bets and Preview appeared first on MrFixitsTips.
