Hero World Challenge Predictions: Ludvig to Hit Right Notes

• Albany Golf Course stages the event once again

• Tiger Woods is tournament host but won’t be playing 

• Scottie Scheffler is the clear betting favorite 

Hero World Challenge 2024 Odds

Odds from bet365 Sportsbook. Sign up for a bet365 account with our promo code WSN365 and claim a bonus of your choice: $1,000 Safety Net Bet OR $150 in Bonus Bets.

Hero World Challenge 2024 Predictions

• Ludvig Aberg for the win at +1000 with bet365

• Robert MacIntyre to beat Cameron Young over 72 holes at -125 with bet365

• Akshay Bhatia for First Round Leader at +2000 with BetMGM

Hero World Challenge 2024 Intro

It’s a case of quality not quantity this week as an elite field of 20 battle it out for a $5m prize fund in the Bahamas.

Tiger Woods plays host to this event although, unfortunately, we won’t get to see the 15-time Major winner out on the course.

Tiger had more back surgery in September and isn’t yet ready to play.

Instead, we get the man whose win-rate this season has been Tiger-esque - Scottie Scheffler.

The World No.1 has won seven times in 2024 and that’s reflected in his price of +240.

Albany Golf Course is a par 72 measuring over 7,400 yards and features the little-seen combination of five par 3s and five par 5s.

Designed by Ernie Els, it’s a flat, exposed, links-style course and features plenty of bunkers among the dunes. 

Scoring opportunities are plentiful and the big hitters will enjoy having all those par 5s to attack.

Bubba Watson won with 25-under in the first edition at Albany in 2015 although 20-under is the lowest score since.

It’s classed as an unofficial event but world ranking points are up for grabs and that should keep everyone focused.       

Last 5 Winners of the Hero World Challenge

Course Notes

• Albany Golf Course is a par 72 that measures 7,449 yards

• There are five par 3s and five par 5s, with three of each on the opening nine

• The greens are covered in Bermuda grass

• Rickie Fowler owns the 18-hole record, firing a 61 in the final round in 2017

• Temperatures are around 80 degrees but winds could pick up on the weekend 

Favorites to Win the Hero World Challenge

Scottie Scheffler (+240) at bet365

Scheffler would be the hot favourite here regardless following his sensational 2024 which brought another Masters green jacket, six other PGA Tour wins, Olympic gold and the FedExCup trophy. But add in the fact that he’s never finished outside the top two here in three visits strengthens his claims further. Runner-up in 2021 and 2022, Scheffler produced a strong performance on the greens last year to win by three.                     

Patrick Cantlay (+1000) at bet365

Cantlay had a rather underwhelming 2024 by his own very high standards, ending it with 19th out of 30 at the Tour Championship. But he went 4-1-0 in the Presidents Cup and should be fresh. He fired rounds of 65 (R1) and 64 (R4) when fifth here in 2018 and was 17th in 2019. Those are his only two appearances in the event.    

Justin Thomas (+1000) at bet365

In contrast to Cantlay, Thomas is teeing it up here for the seventh time. He was subdued on his first two visits when 11th and 12th but has since gone 5-5-5-3 so is getting closer to the win. That applies to the current day too as the last time we saw Thomas he was finishing runner-up in the ZOZO Championship.        

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Aberg for the Win 

When Ludvig Aberg returned from a two-month break at the RSM Classic a fortnight ago, it seemed that his defense of the title would only last two days after an opening 73 left him 135th and staring at a missed cut.

But the Swede’s rust seemed to last just 18 holes as he responded with a 62 to surge back up the leaderboard.

A final-round 64 secured 17th place and the affable later Swede reported a clean bill of health.

Aberg will be hungry to bank a win having let a few opportunities slip by in 2024 and just three starts ago he was runner-up at the BMW Championship.

Fourth by the coast in July’s Scottish Open, he should like this test and, in theory, his excellence with the driver should allow him to take the five par 5s apart.      

That RSM Classic appearance should have sharpened him up nicely and with plenty of his rivals lacking recent competition, the door is open.

Scandinavians have won three of the last four editions so let’s back Aberg to make that four from five.

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MacIntyre to Beat Young

For this week’s 72-hole match bet, let’s hope to continue this column’s strong record by backing Robert MacIntyre to outscore Cameron Young.

MacIntyre has had a stellar 2024, securing his first two PGA TOUR successes - the Canadian Open and the Scottish Open.

And, importantly, he’s also shown no drop-off despite those highs and played five DP World Tour Championship events between September and November and finished in the top 25 in all of them.

The latest was seventh in last month’s DP World Tour Championship - an event whose results correlate well with this one - and playing by the coast suits him.

In 2022 and 2023, Young was excelling in the Majors and he was third here two years ago. 

But he’s found life tougher in 2024, hasn’t played competitively since August and doesn’t have a top 20 since June.    

MacIntyre holds the aces and should be backed at -125 with bet365.

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Akshay Bhatia for FRL

Akshay Bhatia was quick out of the blocks at the recent Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan and is worth a bet at +2000 with BetMGM in the first-round leader market.

The left-hander was second after both 18 and 72 holes in Japan so is sharp and he’s had a piece of the 18-hole lead twice on the PGA TOUR since April.

The first was thanks to a 63 in the Texas Open and he repeated the feat via an opening 64 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

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How to Watch the Hero World Challenge 2024

• Tournament: Hero World Challenge 2024

• Location: Albany GC, Albany, BAH 

• Date: Thursday, December 5 - Sunday, December 8

• How to watch: Thursday-Friday 1.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m. (Golf Channel), Saturday noon-2.30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2.30 p.m.-5 p.m. (NBC), Sunday 11.30 a.m.-1.30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m. (NBC). And all four days on Sky Sports