Some of the best golfers in the world will make the trip to the Bahamas this week for the Hero World Challenge. First staged back in 1999 at the Greyhawk Golf Club, the tournament was held at a number of different venues before settling in the Bahamas for the past three years. The fact that this is a limited invitation-only event means that the field will consist of only 18 players. While that guarantees a high level of players across the board, it also means that there aren’t many selections to choose from when it comes to narrowing down the best sports betting options for this week. Here is a look at the eight best bets to win the Hero World Challenge.
Event Details
Event: Hero World Challenge
Category: PGA
Date: November 29th-Deember 2nd, 2018
Location: Albany Course, New Providence, The Bahamas
Past Five Winners
2017: Rickie Fowler -18
2016: Hideki Matsuyama -18
2015: Bubba Watson -25
2014: Jordan Spieth -26
2013: Zach Johnson -13
Justin Rose +705
Rose has finished in the top-8 in each of his last six starts, including his recent win in Turkey, so it’s no surprise that he heads the list of sports betting favorites to win this week’s Hero World Challenge. Rose is coming off his best finish at this tournament a year ago when he placed fifth. He should also be well rested after skipping the European Tour finale in Dubai. There is no doubt that Rose deserves to be the betting favorite this week and he is definitely worth putting some money on.
Dustin Johnson +805
D.J. hasn’t fared well in at this course, finishing T-14th or worse in two of his last three starts here. However, there is no doubt about his talent and the potential he has to win every single time he’s on the course. Johnson did finish third at this tournament two years ago, so there is reason to believe he could live up to his billing listed directly behind Rose among the sports betting favorites to win outright.
Rickie Fowler +805
Fowler returns to the Bahamas as the defending tournament champion with a very good chance to defend his title. After all, Fowler has finished in the top-three in each of his three starts here and he looked solid in each of his last two starts. At +805 odds Fowler is actually pretty good value to repeat and win the Hero World Challenge again this week.
Tiger Woods +905
Nobody has forgotten Woods’ performance in this tournament a year ago when he registered a T-9th in his first start back since April of 2017. Tiger has shown enough flashes since to believe that he is back to being a legitimate contender every time out, even if it’s against a pretty impressive field of contenders. While the value isn’t exactly there at +900, nobody should overlook Tiger this week.
Justin Thomas +905
Thomas finished 11th here last year, but there is reason to believe he will perform better in his second outing at this course. First of all, the majority of the bigger names tend to do better in their second start here than they did in their first start. Second, Thomas has shown flashes overall this season and could be due for a big outing. Like Tiger, the value isn’t excellent but it’s impossible to completely overlook J.T. as a legitimate contender this week.
Jon Rahm +1215
Rahm is an interesting play because, while he has the talent to contend, it’s hard to get a good read on what to expect of him this week since this will be his first start in the Hero World Challenge. Coming off a T-4th in Dubai, Rahm offers pretty good value at +1215 odds if you believe he has what it takes to get the job done in his first appearance at this event.
Tony Finau +1550
Finau hasn’t exactly dazzled since his runner-up finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions but this is a course that should fit his skill set as he looks to get back on track. Like Rahm, this will also be Finau’s first appearance in the Hero World Challenge.
Jason Day +1550
Sticking with value, Day is another sleeper pick that could surprise. After all, he placed T-5th at the C.J. Cup and T-11th in China, so there really isn’t any reason to expect him to slow down. At +1550 odds to win outright, Day is another sleeper pick that deserves a long look heading in to this week’s Hero World Challenge.
Odds To Win 2018 Hero World Challenge
Justin Rose +705
Dustin Johnson +805
Justin Thomas +905
Rickie Fowler +805
Tiger Woods +905
Bryson DeChambeau +1015
Jon Rahm +1215
Jason Day +1550
Tony Finau +1550
Xander Schauffele +1650
Patrick Reed +2050
Patrick Cantley +2050
Hideki Matsuyama +2050
Henrik Stenson +2250
Gary Woodland +2550
Alex Noren +2550
Bubba Watson +2550
Keegan Bradley +3250
Max Wager $100.
