The 2022 Hero World Challenge will be hosted by Tiger Woods, but not feature the 15-time major winner after he withdrew due to a foot injury. However, six of the top-10 ranked golfers will tee off when the event begins Thursday from Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas. The Hero World Challenge 2022 features a 20-man field with no cut and the winner will collect $1 million of the $3.5 million prize pool.
Jon Rahm, who won this tournament in 2018 and was runner-up a year later, is the 5-1 favorite according to Caesars Sportsbook. Reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler, is at 8-1 in the 2022 Hero World Challenge odds, while other 2022 Hero World Challenge contenders include Tony Finau (9-1), Justin Thomas (11-1) and Xander Schauffele (11-1). Before locking in any 2022 Hero World Challenge picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
McClure’s model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned almost $1,100. At the 2022 Masters, McClure’s model was all over Scottie Scheffler’s first career major championship victory heading into the weekend.
In addition, McClure’s best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright at the 2021 Open Championship, even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 long shot. The model was also all over Jon Rahm’s (10-1) first career major championship victory at the 2021 U.S. Open. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend, but the model still projected him as the winner.
This same model has also nailed a whopping eight majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now that the 2022 Hero World Challenge field is locked, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
Top 2022 Hero World Challenge predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2022 Hero World Challenge: Tony Finau, one of the favorites at 9-1, stumbles and finishes outside of the top five. Finau is one of the favorites because he’s been playing well in recent months. He won the Houston Open on Nov. 13 and he finished ninth overall in the 2021-22 PGA standings after a strong finish that included back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July.
Finau, however, also missed the cut at Mayakoba earlier this month. And after finishing second in this event in 2019, he hasn’t fared as well since, finishing 10th in 2019 and seventh in 2021. The model doesn’t like the value of him getting the third-lowest odds in the field, making Finau a golfer to fade in 2022 Hero World Challenge best bets.
Another surprise: Collin Morikawa, an 18-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Morikawa appeared on his way to a victory at this event last year, when he had a five-shot lead after 54 holes. Across 20 tournaments last season, Morikawa finished in the top 10 nine times, or 45% of his starts.
Morikawa’s strengths suit this course well, as Albany has five par-3s instead of the usual four. With fewer par-4s, this course rewards precision and accuracy. Morikawa ranks seventh in driving accuracy and fourth in greens in regulation, while also sitting third in strokes gained approaching the green over the last 50 rounds. His final round at last year’s event was an outlier compared to his first three rounds, so Morikawa carries plenty of value in 2022 Hero World Challenge bets, according to the model. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2022 Hero World Challenge picks
The model is also targeting two other golfers with odds of 15-1 or longer who will make surprising runs. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s PGA picks here.
So who will win the Hero Challenge 2022? And which longshots stun the golfing world? Check out the 2022 Hero World Challenge odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected 2022 Hero World Challenge leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed eight golf majors, including this year’s Masters.
2022 Hero World Challenge odds, field
See full Hero World Challenge 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Jon Rahm 5-1
Scottie Scheffler 8-1
Tony Finau 9-1
Xander Schauffele 11-1
Justin Thomas 11-1
Viktor Hovland 12-1
Matt Fitzpatrick 12-1
Tommy Fleetwood 16-1
Sungjae Im 16-1
Cameron Young 18-1
Jordan Spieth 18-1
Tom Kim 18-1
Collin Morikawa 18-1
Sam Burns 18-1
Shane Lowry 20-1
Max Homa 25-1
Billy Horschel 30-1
Corey Conners 35-1
Kevin Kisner 60-1
Sepp Straka 65-1