Tiger Woods was supposed to be the headliner, and he’ll still be on site, but players like Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler will be the focus at the 2022 Hero World Challenge. Woods was expected to return to the course for the first time since The Open in June, but a flare-up of plantar fasciitis forced him to pull out Monday. His event at Albany Golf Club in The Bahamas benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, and six of the world’s top 10 golfers will compete starting Thursday. Rahm and Scheffler will be joined by fellow major champions like Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa. Viktor Hovland also will be in the Hero World Challenge 2022 field to defend his title. He shot 6-under 66 in the final round last year at Albany to edge Scheffler by one stroke. Morikawa went into Sunday with a six-stroke lead but ended up in a tie for fifth. Woods still expects to compete in two exhibitions next month – The Match on Dec. 10 and the PNC Championship alongside son Charlie from Dec. 17-18.
Rahm, who won this tournament in his debut in 2018 and was the 2019 runner-up, is the 5-1 favorite in the latest 2022 Hero World Challenge odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Scheffler (8-1), Finau (9-1) and Xander Schauffele (10-1) also are expected to be top contenders in the Hero World Challenge 2022 field. Hovland (12-1), Thomas (12-1) and Fitzpatrick (14-1) are among more than a dozen golfers priced shorter than 20-1. Before locking in any 2022 Hero World Challenge picks or golf bets, you need to see the PGA Tour predictions, best bets and sleeper picks from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.
After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour.
He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on those plays, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship.
McDonald is having a profitable 2022-23 season in every category, and he nailed this month’s Houston Open, backing Finau at 25-1. The expert has been on the money on his matchup plays and cashed in huge on Brendan Steele (80-1) as the first-round leader at the Zozo Championship. Anyone who followed McDonald’s advice has cashed in huge.
Now, McDonald has studied the 2022 Hero World Challenge field and is locking in his best bets, best value and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all his PGA picks and predictions.
Top 2022 Hero World Challenge expert picks
In one shocking pick, McDonald is fading Sam Burns (16-1) despite the 26-year-old’s performance in his debut and throughout last season. Burns won three tournaments in 2021-22, and he tied for third in his first appearance at Albany last year. But the last we saw him was at the Houston Open, where he withdrew after a first-round 77. He hit four of 13 fairways and six of 18 greens there, and his ball-striking has been off for a while now. “Burns hasn’t been the same since the summer,” McDonald says, and he has finished in the top-10 just once since June.
On the flip side, this is a ball-striker’s course, and there are plenty of great ones in the field, but Rahm is probably the best. He won the DP World Tour Championship two weeks ago, his second European victory since the 2021-22 PGA Tour season ended. He has finished in the top in two other tournaments since then, and the world’s fifth-ranked golfers seems primed to make a run at a return to No. 1. The Spaniard led the tour in strokes gained off the tee last season and was third in greens in regulation. He hasn’t played at Albany since he was the runner-up in 2019. See who else to pick at the Hero World Challenge here.
How to make 2022 Hero World Challenge golf picks
Before this week’s PGA Tour event at Albany, McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2022 Hero World Challenge. He is targeting an overlooked star to win who brings excellent value given his course history. The expert says this golfer is the best in the field in terms of strokes gained and should continue to excel on this seaside course. You can only find out who it is, and see the rest of McDonald’s picks and PGA Tour analysis, at SportsLine.
So which 2022 Hero World Challenge picks should you target? Which golfer brings excellent value in this stacked Hero World Challenge 2022 field? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top picks for Hero World Challenge 2022, all from the expert who nailed this month’s Houston Open, and find out.
Hero World Challenge odds, field, top contenders
See full Hero World Challenge picks, predictions, best bets 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
Tiger Woods 40-1 (withdrew due to plantar fasciitis)
Kevin Kisner 60-1