Albany is biting back as the highest 36-hole lead in tournament history was turned in at the halfway point of the 2022 Hero World Challenge. While the seven previous editions of this tournament held in The Bahamas featured birdies in bunches and halfway leads in the double-digits under par range, this year is a stark contrast. Yet despite this change in the scoring environment, it is Viktor Hovland, the man who finished atop the leaderboard a year ago, who is in the same position after 36 holes.

Signing for a 2-under 70 on Friday, the Norwegian stands at 5 under as he was able to separate himself ever so slightly from a stacked leaderboard. With Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young trailing Hovland by a single stroke, the 25-year-old admitted he expected scores to be better in spite of the conditions. 

“It was tough,” said Hovland. “We are kind of grinding over every 3 or-4-four footer out there, and they certainly don’t feel like gimmes. This wind just makes everything just a little bit harder, even those basic chip shots, they’re not so basic anymore. I still would have expected the scores to be a little bit lower.”

With the wind expecting to persist, world-class ball strikers should only continue to gravitate to the top of the leaderboard. PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, former world No. 1 Jon Rahm and the red-hot Tony Finau are right behind the initial chasing pack in what is setting up to be a memorable Hero World Challenge to wrap up 2022.

The leader

1. Viktor Hovland (-5)

There have been only three eagles through the first two rounds, and two of them belong to Hovland. Nearly acing the par-4 14th on Thursday, Hovland holed out on the par-5 6th on Friday for his second of the week. With a clear comfort level in the wind and on coastal golf courses, it is no surprise see his name occupying the top spot on the leaderboard, even if he was his biggest critic after his second round.

“I put myself in the fairway a lot, but it’s kind of strange, like I knew it was windy and I feel like I missed so many putts. And I still don’t feel like I’m hitting it very good, like I’m not comfortable over the ball, but the ball’s going straight and I’m giving myself looks,” said Hovland. “It just doesn’t feel that great, and I’m missing a lot of putts, and somehow we ended up at 2 under today, so yeah, happy with that.”

Other contenders

T3. Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa (-4)

6. Tom Kim (-3)

7. Justin Thomas (-2)

T8. Billy Horschel, Sepp Straka (-1)

T10. Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau (E) 

Not all motivations are the same this week as some spend quality vacation time with their families while others put on a serious face. Put world No. 2 Scheffler in the latter category as the Texan has his eyes on the prize amid his second appearance in the Hero World Challenge. Standing only one stroke back, a win would put Scheffler back atop the world of golf — albeit only temporarily as Rory McIlroy will finish 2022 as world No. 1 no matter what.

“I’m definitely not showing up to finish 20th or whatever it is. I’ve been practicing. I like to practice,” said Scheffler. “I took a nice break before we went to South Carolina. I was pretty worn out after the FedExCup, and then the Presidents Cup, so there was a period there for a good five, six weeks where I wasn’t practicing too much. I still go out and play for fun and stuff, but not too much heavy practice. Last probably month or two I’ve been getting after it fairly decent.”

A tale of two nines for Tony Finau

At first glance, it was a ho-hum round of even-par 72 for Finau. However, upon closer inspection, the contrast between his front nine and back nine couldn’t be more different. Carding five bogeys on his outward half, the four-time PGA Tour winner turned in 4-over 40. 

Drifting outside the top 15 of this 20-man field, Finau found his stride coming home. With four birdies against zero dropped shots over his final nine holes, Finau clawed his way back to even par for the tournament and in with a slight chance over the weekend.

2022 Hero World Challenge updated odds and picks

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Viktor Hovland: 4-1
• Scottie Scheffler: 4-1
• Xander Schauffele: 4-1
• Collin Morikawa: 7-1
• Cameron Young: 7-1
• Tom Kim: 11-1
• Justin Thomas: 14-1
• Jon Rahm: 18-1
• Tony Finau: 28-1

It is not often there are three favorites heading into the weekend of a golf tournament. While Hovland holds the slight edge, he is matched on the odds board by Scheffler and Schauffele. With still so much golf to be played and the conditions expecting to continue, I don’t mind taking a shot at a couple players in the chasing pack. Justin Thomas at 14-1 is interesting given his ability to play in the wind, and the same logic goes for Tony Finau at 28-1.

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The final swing season of the PGA Tour is complete following the 2022 RSM Classic. Along with the conclusion of the fall swing comes a number of players who thrived and a list of player who … well, didn’t. While there are still competitive reps in the upcoming weeks on the DP World Tour, at the Hero World Challenge, QBE Shootout, The Match VII and PNC Championship, a bow has been put on the PGA Tour slate for the 2022 calendar year before play resumes at the Tournament of Champions in January.

This fall swing was inherently different from those of the past as modifications to the PGA Tour’s upcoming schedule and playoff structure heightened the intensity. With only 70 players gaining entry into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and those falling outside the magic number eventually needing to vie for status, some saw this time of year as critical for their job security.

“It’s harder,” said Joel Dahmen of the new structure. “I mean, with the new system comes if you play really well, now you’re in that top tier, now you’re on the PGA Tour, not the PGB tour. The PGA Tour is really sweet right now and it’s the best time I think ever to be on Tour. Great play will get you to that next level and that’s a great spot to be.”

Dahmen was one of many to take advantage of his opportunities this fall. Playing in seven tournaments, the 35-year-old captured three top-10 finishes in addition to a couple top-20 results. For his efforts, Dahmen heads into 2023 ranked 15th in the FedEx Cup standings and in the driver’s seat to remain inside that coveted top-70 cutoff.

While Dahmen won’t be making the list of top winners from the fall, he is surely in the conversation and in a much better position than some of his peers who will be discussed in a different light. Not all were lucky enough to find their stride the past few months, and will have ample ground to make up come 2023.

Winners

Honorable Mention: Seamus Power, Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Taylor Montgomery

Losers

Honorable Mention: Daniel Berger, Sam Burns, Cameron Champ, Taylor Pendrith

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While many were asleep Wednesday evening on the East Coast of the United States, the 2022 Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, got underway. Headlined by defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, the most popular golfer in Japan, it was the dreary weather which ultimately took center stage in the first round. Competitors played with ball in hand as they dealt with rainy and wet conditions around Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

The man who adapted to his surroundings better than the rest of the field was Brendan Steele, who opened with a 6-under 64 to command the solo first-round lead. The 39-year-old was exquisite from the jump as he made birdie on the par-4 2nd before adding two more on Nos. 10 and 11. After a head-scratching bogey on the par-5 14th, Steele was left needing to recover, and recover he did with four birdies over the course of his final four holes.

Highlighted by a hole-out birdie from roughly 60 yards on the difficult par-4 17th, Steele was able to position his name atop the first page of the leaderboard that includes the likes of Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Mito Pereira. Matsuyama may have began his defense effort in middling fashion with a 1-over 71, but his fellow countryman Kazuki Higa is firmly in the mix after a 3-under 67 and will look to make it back-to-back Zozo Championship winners hailing from Japan. 

The leader

1. Brendan Steele (-6)

It is no secret that Steele has gone through the wringer with the putter recently, but he has clearly developed a nice level of comfort around Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. Finishing runner-up to Matsuyama in last year’s tournament, Steele picked up where he left off in Round 1. Having lost a combined 10 strokes on the greens en route to missing the cut at the Fortinet Championship and the Sanderson Farms Championship, it appears — at least through 18 holes — that Steele has left his putting woes back in the United States.

“I love it here. Loved the course last year, really happy to be back. Nice for us to be able to get out of the hotel a little bit this year, too, and enjoy the culture a little, so I’ve enjoyed it a ton,” said Steele. “You just have to drive it well. I like to draw the ball off the tee at least when I’m swinging well and I think there’s quite a few draws out here, so I feel comfortable with the shots that are maybe a little harder for some guys that have a different ball flight. And then I’ve been really comfortable on the greens. The greens are difficult, they have a lot of slope, a lot of speed, but from the start last year I felt really comfortable here and that’s really a key for me.”

Other contenders

2. Adam Schenk (-5)

T3. Keegan Bradley, Matthew NeSmith, Sam Ryder (-4)

T6. Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Mito Pereira, Maverick McNealy, Kazuki Higa (-3)

Competing on a sponsors exemption, Fowler is taking full advantage of his opportunity at the Zozo Championship. After kicking off his 2022-23 season with a T6 finish at the Fortinet Championship, many believed the five-time PGA Tour winner was well on his way to officially being “back.” A missed cut at the Shriners Children’s Open dampened expectations, but a volatile Fowler may be the new normal as he assimilates to a new caddie and a return to former swing coach Butch Harmon. 

“I’m very happy with where we’re at,” said Fowler. “Obviously didn’t have the week we wanted last week, drove it poorly, but with some of the changes we’ve made and to have the finish that we did at Napa and kind of seeing a lot of good things, I’m definitely happy about it and excited to be here and off to a good start.”

2022 Zozo Championship updated odds and picks

• Xander Schauffele (5-1)
• Keegan Bradley (9-1)
• Brendan Steele (10-1)
• Mito Pereira (12-1)
• Adam Schenk (14-1)
• Matthew NeSmith (18-1)
• Maverick McNealy (18-1)
• Viktor Hovland (20-1)

With 54 holes still to play, none of the players shorter than 20-1 really stand out. The top of this leaderboard is susceptible to turnover; instead, we will look to a couple players who signed for rounds of even par 70. Englishman Tyrrell Hatton was a name fancied at the onset of the tournament, and this sentiment has not changed after 18 holes. Carding a quadruple bogey in the middle of his back nine, Hatton was able to recover with four straight birdies to claw back to even by day’s end and stands six strokes back at 40-1.

A similar story unfolded for Cam Davis as he began his Zozo Championship with two double bogeys and a bogey in his first four holes. The smooth-swinging Australian played his final 14 holes in 4 under to end the day where he began at even par. Davis is listed at 60-1, comes off a strong Presidents Cup debut and is playing with house money — literally — as he is set to see his family in Australia at the completion of play this week.

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