Tiger Woods makes his eagerly-anticipated return at this week’s Hero World Challenge taking place at the Albany Course in the Bahamas.
2023/2024 US PGA Tour
Hero World Challenge
Albany, New Province, Bahamas
30th November- 3rd December
Tiger Woods is back baby! In all seriousness, Tiger Woods returning to golfing action is probably the closest thing we have in sport to a religious experience. He could shoot 25-over-par this week and still enjoy the lion’s share of the support. His aura also manages to cut through all the petty squabbles that dominate today’s golfing discourse.
Hero World Challenge
The Hero World Challenge is a limited invitation event that started life in 1999 and it features 20 of the world’s best players. This can make for pretty laborious viewing, with commentators really earning their pay while reacting to endless replays.
As it is an unofficial PGA Tour event, players will not be competing for FedEx Cup points or official money this week. However, there are official world ranking points at stake.
This event was first staged at the Greyhawk Golf Club in 1999 and it went through several different iterations before finally finding its home at the Albany Course in 2015. It has hosted every edition since (minus the cancelled 2020 renewal).
The Albany Course
Designed by Ernie Els and opened in 2010, the Albany Course is cut from the same cloth as its maker. Els, one of the most celebrated links operators of his era, has created a gorgeous links-style course.
It is an exposed, flat layout that moves through sweeping dunes (inspired by Aussie sand-belt stunners like Royal Melbourne). It also features plenty of strategic bunkers (Els is arguably one of the best bunker players of all time).
This course is clearly made for those players who understand the nuances of links golf. Players with the ability to navigate strong gusts of wind should also prosper here.
This is a very idiosyncratic par 72 layout, featuring five par 5’s and five par 3’s. I think this week will be dominated by strong links operators who can really take advantage of the scorable par 5’s.
The Contenders
It almost feels difficult to talk about the main contenders with Tiger in the mix. But FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland is looking for a threepeat this week and there’s very little reason to doubt the man.
Max Homa won at Sun City in his last outing while Scottie Scheffler hasn’t played any competitive golf since the Ryder Cup. Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas are both players who tend to shine in limited-field affairs such as this.
Elsewhere, newly-minted Major champions Wyndham Clar and Brian Harman will be looking to end their seasons on a high.
Past Winners
2022: Viktor Hovland (-16)
2021: Viktor Hovland (-18)
2020: event cancelled
2019: Henrik Stenson (-18)
2018: Jon Rahm (-20)
2017: Rickie Fowler (-18)
To Win Outright:
Viktor Hovland 9/2 | Scottie Scheffler 9/2 | Max Homa 8/1 | Collin Morikawa 8/1 | Justin Thomas 16/1
Value Bet
Wyndham Clark- To Win 22/1
Clark has enjoyed an amazingly consistent breakthrough season, only missing three cuts in 28 events. He actually finished inside the top 25 in half of those events (ka-ching). His third place finish in the FedEx Cup standings was driven by victories at the US Open and the Wells Fargo Championship. He ranks 13th on the tour in total strokes gained and I think he has the game to boss this field on debut. He was one of the better American players at the Ryder Cup and I really think he’s going to be in the upper reaches of men’s golf for some time to come.
The Man to Beat- Justin Thomas- To Win 16/1
Justin Thomas has been on a mini resurgence of late and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the best of him this week. Since August, JT has managed to pick up three top-12 finishes. That’s pretty startling when you consider his form for the majority of the season. His approach play has improved dramatically of late and he has gained strokes in three consecutive events with the flatstick. He has also finished inside the top five in each of his last three appearances at Albany. Thomas looked reinvigorated at the Ryder Cup and I think he could be standing on the precipice of a mega 2024 season.
