Golf Betting Picks: 2019 Hero World Challenge

by Matt Schmitto (schmitto) Last Updated 2019-12-04 19:05:37

The PGA Tour is still on hiatus, but Tiger Woods has invited 17 of the world’s top golfers to join him in the Bahamas for the annual Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course and Beach Resort. With betting favorite, Jon Rahm, defending his 2019 championship from golfers like Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Tiger Woods himself, this will be an exciting four days as a few of the golfers in the field will try to fine-tune their game before next week’s Presidents Cup. Keep in mind, this tournament starts Wednesday in order to give Presidents Cup participants extra time to get to Australia.

Note, considering the limited field and the time of year, this will be a condensed version of the golf betting previews we do for the spring and summer swings of the PGA Tour season. With that said, let’s take a quick look at the course, weather, odds and our favorite golf betting picks for the 2019 Hero World Challenge at online sports betting sites.

If you’re looking for general golf betting tips, please refer to our PGA golf betting guide.

Read More

Hero World Challenge 2019 — Albany Golf Course

• Par 72
• 7,309 Yards
• Field: 18 golfers (no cut)
• Starts Wednesday

Course Notes

Albany Golf Course is a Par 72, but it’s unique in that it has five par 5s and five par 3s. This may lead you to believe that you should focus on bombers who excel on par 5s. That may be true, but shorter hitters relative to the field have also had their fair share of success at Albany. Wind can definitely be a factor on this island course, but golfers should be able to stay away from trouble. Whether short or long, what it’s going to take to win this weekend is a consistent short game and a hot enough putter to reach that 20-under mark.

Home Course advantage?

Tiger Woods and Justin Rose both own property on the resort and newly-bulked Bryson Dechambeau spends extended time at Albany during the off-season.

Hero World Challenge — Past Winners at Albany Golf Course

• 2018 – Jon Rahm (-20)
• 2018 – Rickie Fowler (-18)
• 2016 – Hideki Matsuyama (-18)
• 2015 – Bubba Watson (-25)

More on Course History

The tournament moved to Albany in 2015 and a diverse set of golfers have had success here. Bubba Watson smashed the course in its 2015 debut but Patrick Reed wasn’t far off, finishing in second place and three strokes behind Watson. That same year, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey and Bill Haas rounded out the top five.

In 2016, Hideki Matsuyama paired his premium ball striking with a few days of good putting. If you play daily fantasy sports or bet on golf often, then you know how rare that is for Matsuyama. Runner-up Henrik Stenson was two strokes backand Rickie Fowler found himself on the podium, tying with Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar for a second consecutive third-place finish.

Fowler finally raised the trophy in 2017, while Jordan Spieth found himself T3, followed by T5s for Matsuyama, Reed, and Rose.

Most recently, Jon Rahm overpowered Albany with a second-round 63 and a final round 65 to beat fellow bomber Tony Finau by four strokes. Rose and Stenson both returned to the top five, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Patrick Cantlay and Fowler tied for fifth.

Golf Betting Picks at the Hero World Challenge

The following table shows the best sportsbook to place your bet — between FanDuel, DraftKings, William Hill and PointsBet — for each golfer in the field.

Rickie Fowler +2200 – Fowler hasn’t be in a tournament mode since the TOUR Championship in August, so there’s no current form to look at. Though Fowler took a break in the fall, he still managed to be plenty busy. Fowler married former pole vaulter Allison Stokke in October. Given Fowler’s dominant course history at Albany Golf Course, I’m not all that concerned about his hiatus from competitive golf. Fowler loves it here and his mind should be fresh, ready to compete for another individual victory in the Bahamas this week, and a Presidents Cup win next week at Royal Melbourne.

Use our PointsBet promo code to get these odds

Gary Woodland +2200 – Fresh off his first ever major championship trophy in 2019, Woodland was selected, for the first time in his career, to compete in the Presidents Cup. Woodland obviously has the pedigree to win in this strong field just as he capitalized at Pebble Beach in June. Woodland’s driver will be an advantage, and he’s proven to be a strong wind player who can use a low-flying stinger to pierce through wind gusts and put the ball in play if need be. Woodland sits more than halfway down the betting board and I think there’s value betting on the defending U.S. Open champ.

Use our DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to get these odds.

Bubba Watson +4000 – Watson had an up and down year, but he’s won at Albany before and we all know it’s typically a mind game for the emotional golfer. Watson usually plays well at courses he loves. His last appearance at the Hero World Challenge wasn’t great, but he does have a win and T6 in his two previous showings. Watson should have a heyday on these par 5s, which will give us a chance to cash a 40-1 longshot come Saturday (remember, the tournament starts a day early). His birdie-making ability also makes him a good DFS play at a cheap price tag of $6,200

Use our William Hill promo code to get these odds.

Chez Reavie +6600 (DraftKings) – I love taking a swing with a longshot in these short fields and Reavie, along with Watson, are the perfect guys to do it with. If you’re a returning reader, then you know why I love Reavie. We cashed with as the winner at these exact same odds at the Travelers Championship. Reavie is a streaky golfer and a great ball striker known to get hot with the short stick from time to time. He hasn’t played here before, but he does come off a respectable 23rd-place finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic two weeks ago. If the field scares you, just look at this third-place finish at the U.S Open. Odds are, Reavie won’t keep up with some of these guys on the Par 5s, but if you’re giving me 66-1 odds in an 18-man field, then I’m going to take them.

Read More

My Hero World Challenge Golf Betting Card

Each bet is for 1 unit. Risking 4 units total for the tournament.

• Rickie Fowler +2200
• Gary Woodland +2200
• Bubba Watson +4000
• Chez Reavie +6600

Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images