Hero World Challenge: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation, the Hero World Challenge took place for the first time in 2000 and moved to its current venue on New Providence island in 2015 when Bubba Watson powered his way to the title.

Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Viktor Hovland (two times) and Scottie Scheffler have since all claimed this title but only one of them will tee it up this week and that's Scheffler, who is the +260 favorite to mount a successful defence.

It's been a remarkable year for the world number one, who has won eight titles including the Players, the Masters for a second time, the Olympics and the Tour Championship, which is when we last saw him competing as an individual.

Just as he did last year, the Dallas-based star, who last played competitively in the USA's easy Presidents Cup win, will look to defy a near three-month absence at a venue where he finished second in 2021 and 2022 before winning in 2023.

Hero World Challenge betting picks and predictions

Justin Thomas to win (+1100)

A wide-open coastal course which has proven vulnerable to big hitters, Albany gets much easier when the winds are mild and that's set to be the case this week, so a winning score of around 20-under-par looks likely.

While Scheffler is clearly well equipped to reach such a total, he's priced accordingly and it could pay to look for alternatives starting with Justin Thomas, who will want to perform well this week as he seeks to lay a platform for a big 2025 season.

Thomas has been a long way short of his best over the last two years but there have been signs of a revival and, after firing the seventh-best 72-hole total in the Tour Championship, the Kentucky man went to Japan and finished second to Nico Echavarria in the Zozo Championship.

While he's yet to win the Hero World Challenge - something he would dearly love to do given his close association with Woods - his last four appearances at Albany have resulted in three straight fifth-placed finishes before most recently coming in third.

Thomas has always relished competing near the coast. His first two PGA Tour wins came in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and he's also a dual winner of the Sentry in Hawaii and the CJ Cup at Jeju Island, South Korea. He also won the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2017.

Ludvig Aberg to win (+1200)

Unlike most of those at the top of the betting, Ludvig Aberg has a recent PGA Tour outing under his belt, finishing 17th at the RSM Classic after a three-month break following knee surgery.

Aberg was clearly rusty for the defense of his RSM Classic title, opening with a 73, but he fired a 64 on both Friday and Sunday and there is every chance he'll improve upon that Sea Island outing.

A power-packed operator and a great putter, Aberg makes his Albany debut this week but there's no obvious reason why he won't take to a venue which should suit him down to the ground.

While he has enjoyed a solid season following his remarkable 2023 breakthrough campaign, the Swede will not be happy to still be winless, so he should be highly motivated to post a victory and represents good value in the outright market.

Akshay Bhatia to win (+2700)

Akshay Bhatia has fond memories of competing in the Bahamas, winning his sole Korn Ferry Tour title in the small Caribbean nation in the 2022 Great Exuma Classic, and now he returns as a two-time PGA Tour winner who is on the verge of joining golf's elite.

Bhatia, who also had back-to-back KFT top-10 finishes in the Bahamas last year, has developed into a world-class golfer, one who has chalked up a host of excellent efforts by the coast over the last couple of years.

He was in action in mid-November, finishing runner-up in Japan's prestigious Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, so he should be primed for a bold bid on his Hero World Challenge debut.

2024 Hero World Challenge outright odds

Scottie Scheffler	+260
Patrick Cantlay	+900
Justin Thomas	+1100
Ludvig Aberg	+1200
Sam Burns	+1500
Russell Henley	+1500
Tom Kim	+1500
Sungjae Im	+1500
Sahith Theegala	+1900
Jason Day	+2400
Akshay Bhatia	+2700

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.