The PGA Tour season has broken for the Christmas period but 20 of the leading lights in the game get one more chance in 2021 to play for a pretty big trophy and a decent first prize when Tiger Woods hosts the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
This event didn’t take place last year because of the pandemic so Henrik Stenson finally gets the chance to defend the title he won two years ago. He’ll have to beat a couple of extra players this time with the field now up to 20.
Recent Winners
2019 – Henrik Stenson
2018 – Jon Rahm
2017 – Rickie Fowler
2016 – Hideki Matsuyama
2015 – Bubba Watson
2014 – Jordan Spieth
2013 – Zach Johnson
2012 – Graeme McDowell
2011 – Tiger Woods
2010 – Graeme McDowell
The Course
We are back at the Albany Course in the Bahamas for the latest staging of this event. The event has been held here since 2015 so this will be the sixth event on this track which means the players will be getting used to it. No major damages have taken place since we were last here so the course remains a par 72 which measures 7,309 yards and which is very much one for the longer hitters, as highlighted by the list of winners since 2015.
There is no rough to speak of here and the ball flies miles through the air so it is wise to favour those who can get it out there off the tee. This is always a low scoring event with the pins generally placed in spots where they are accessible so a hot putter is never a bad thing around here. All 20 men play all four rounds so birdies is the order of the day and lots of them.
The Field
The 20-man field is up by two on previous editions but it is missing the host Tiger Woods, who it was good to see doing an interview ahead of the tournament even though the news he gave wasn’t what we wanted to hear as golf fans. The field includes The Open champion and recent Race to Dubai winner Collin Morikawa while regular attendees such as Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth are all in the field as well.
There are a number of debutants in the field this year including Rory McIlroy, the English pair of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton and the Norwegian star Viktor Hovland. The defending champion Henrik Stenson has been invited back to defend his title despite his recent fall from grace while the pair who competed in ‘The Match’ last week are also here in Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Market Leaders
Collin Morikawa won in Dubai a couple of weeks ago and he will tee it up as the joint 15/2 favourite with Rory McIlroy, the man who should have won that tournament. Morikawa has become a winning machine this season and should be able to go pin hunting here but his putter isn’t always the best. McIlroy shows his frailties in Dubai when he looked on course to win and while he has all the tools to tame this place that puts me off getting involved. Both men are debutants here which isn’t completely ideal.
Justin Thomas has been here before and along with Viktor Hovland he is 11/1 to win the tournament this week. Thomas has three top four finishes in his last five events and he was fifth here a couple of years ago so his claims are obvious. Hovland stormed to the Mayakoba title in his last start and although he makes his debut in this tournament he looks to be a live contender based on the way he is playing at present.
Jordan Spieth comes next in the betting at 12/1. He’ll be fighting for the nappy factor having recently become a father for the first time. Those who are avid followers of that particular factor will know it lands quite often but for the statistic based punters they might be more interested in the fact he has three top five finishes in four starts here. He doesn’t have a top 10 since The Open though and that is a bit of a concern.
Betting
I’ll go with a couple of bets this week given that we have a quarter of the field getting paid out on the each way terms. My main bet is Viktor Hovland. I’ve been a big fan of this kid for a while but he has just needed to iron out his short game before I became a true believer in him and that stood out at the Ryder Cup. Since then Hovland has put up a couple of efforts of solid proportions including in the CJ Cup and then he successfully defended the title in Mayakoba where he flew away from a decent enough field. In that tournament he was fifth for scrambling and fourth for putting which highlights the improvements in those departments. It isn’t totally ideal that he is a debutant here but having won in Puerto Rico we know he can win on an island. If the putter is hot he’ll take a lot of beating with his classy long game.
This has always been a home game for Justin Rose while the tournament has been held at Albany and while he has now moved back to the UK I’m sure the Bahamas won’t be far from his heart and I wouldn’t be surprised if he still has some sort of roof over his head in this part of the world for this time of year. Often in this tournament at this time of year motivation is a big guide and having fallen down the rankings after offering little to nothing during the behind closed doors time the sport had to occupy, Rose will be eager to show his worth here and remind everyone he can still compete in this company. Rose has been in the top five in his last three visits here and has top 15 finishes at the Wyndham, Wentworth and in the RSM Classic in the last couple of months so there are signs he’s getting back into a nice groove. He looks the value in the field this week.
Tips
Back V.Hovland to win Hero World Challenge (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 12.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-5)
Back J.Rose to win Hero World Challenge (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-5)
Back them here:
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Golf certainly is a 72 hole thing. Not over till it’s over for sure. Which beggars the question. What price was Victor today before the start of the final round?. Foinavon special. When all were falling Victor went through the gap. Which leads me once again to say. Hat’s off (pardon the pun) Kev. Momentous tip. I picked him up at 18’s prior to round three following your advice. Well called Kev.
Thanks mate. He’d have been some price for sure. Makes a change being the one to come and nab someone on the line after being nabbed on the line a few times recently!