The weather is getting pretty cold in Canada, but some of the best golfers in the world will have their golf clubs out in the sunny and warm Bahamas this week at the Hero World Challenge.
Everyone is talking about Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf heading into the tournament. But proceed with caution before betting into Tiger’s markets, unless you’re fading him. He’ll be making his first competitive golf appearance since the Masters last April as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. Since a barrage of recent injuries, Tiger has fallen to 1328th in the Official World Golf Rankings after dominating the sport for roughly two decades.
Tiger Woods to finish in the Top 10
+100
Woods, who is hosting the event this week and has the longest outright odds at +5000, did not play last year’s Hero World Challenge due to plantar fasciitis. If the 47-year-old can finish all four rounds without discomfort this week, that will be considered a successful event. Keep your betting expectations low for Tiger until he can prove he’s relatively healthy again.
The field for the Hero World Challenge will be comprised of just 20 golfers, but 17 of them had an Official World Golf Ranking of 26th or better at the time of eligibility at the end of August. Justin Rose and Lucas Glovers are tournament exemptions and Tiger rounds out the field as the tournament host.
Viktor Hovland has claimed back-to-back titles at the event with Scottie Scheffler finishing as the runner-up both times. The pair have the shortest outright odds to win this year’s event.
Outright odds
| Golfer | Outright Odds |
|---|---|
| Viktor Hovland | +400 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
| Max Homa | +750 |
| Collin Morikawa | +750 |
| Justin Thomas | +1400 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +1600 |
| Rickie Fowler | +2000 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2000 |
| Sam Burns | +2000 |
| Wyndham Clark | +2200 |
| Tony Finau | +2200 |
| Cameron Young | +2200 |
| Justin Rose | +2500 |
| Keegan Bradley | +2500 |
| Will Zalatoris | +2800 |
| Sepp Straka | +2800 |
| Brian Harman | +3300 |
| Jason Day | +3300 |
| Lucas Glover | +5000 |
| Tiger Woods | +5000 |
All odds courtesy of 
Wagers to consider
Max Homa (outright odds boosted to +850 at bet365):
You won’t find a golfer in better form than Homa (other than Viktor Hovland), who is coming off a win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge earlier this month. The American has posted six consecutive top-10 results to complement three wins combined on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour this season. His odds to win the tournament are currently boosted from +850 (up from +750), so take advantage of the longer odds while you can.
Justin Thomas top-five finish +175:
It’s been a miserable season for Thomas who is ranked 26th in the Official World Golf Rankings after starting the year eighth. He hasn’t won a tournament this year and even failed to qualify for the FedEx Playoffs. However, the American has turned a corner recently, winning the inaugural Netflix Cup with Formula One driver Carlos Sainz. He’s also posted back-to-back top-five finishes in his last two competitive events. The former world No. 1 and two-time major winner should do some damage this week as he looks to close out the year on a high note.
Viktor Hovland top European -130:
Hovland is going for the three-peat at this event and is the outright favourite at +400 for good reason. Backing the Norwegian to win the event is logical, but with so many other top golfers competing in the Bahamas, we’re not getting great value here. If you’re looking for a Hovland market that is as close to a sure thing as possible, albeit at less attractive odds (-130), back him to be the top-finishing European. Hovland, who has two wins and a pair of top-five finishes in his last four competitive starts, only has to beat out Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka, and Justin Rose on the leaderboard for this ticket to cash.
Viktor Hovland top European
-130
