Tiger Woods is hosting the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week. This event will be played at Albany Golf Course (par 72, 7,449 yards, Bermuda greens) in New Providence, which has been the home of the Hero World Challenge since 2016—excluding in 2020, when this tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. Scottie Scheffler won this event by three shots at -20 last season and is the heavy favorite to win again this week with him boasting a field-best +210 odds to win on the DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hero World Challenge is a limited field of only 20 golfers and there will be no cut. After undergoing back surgery in September, Woods unfortunately will not be competing this week.
Albany was designed by the great Ernie Els and is a beautiful, coastal venue that presents tiny greens, 52 bunkers and water in play on five holes. Albany is a rare par 72, as it features five par threes, five par fives and eight par fours. Taking advantage of the scoring opportunities the par fives present is crucial at Albany, plus targeting strong par five players is a must this week. Of the eight winners at this untraditional par 72, seven have finished the event top-five in par-5 efficiency. Also, with the greens very small and a difficult hold at Albany, we not only need to be targeting golfers who are in compelling form with their irons, but players who are also crafty around the greens. During his convincing win at Albany a year ago—which was the first year SG data was recorded for the Hero World Challenge—Scheffler ranked top-six in both SG: Approach and SG: Around the Green.
Below, I have featured two of my favorite sub $7.5K DraftKings value plays for the Hero World Challenge.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $200K Sand Trap [$50K to 1st]
Sahith Theegala ($7,300) – Theegala has never competed at Albany before, but the 26-year-old is a great match for this course and far too cheap for his talent. At No. 12 in the world golf rankings, Theegala is the fifth-highest ranked golfer in this field, but is only the 11th-most expensive player on DraftKings this week.
Theegala has produced four top-seven finishes in his last eight starts—two of which have come since the start of September—and he ranks top-six in both SG: Around the Green and par-5 efficiency when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Additionally, Theegala will be facing Bermuda greens at Albany this week, and when we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds at courses that are home to this type of putting surface, Theegala ranks fourth in strokes gained per round. The blossoming star has top-five upside in his Hero World Challenge debut this week and is a core play at this cheap salary.
Keegan Bradley ($6,500) – Along with Jason Day, Bradley has the most experience at Albany among the players in this week’s field with six appearances at the Els design. Plus, Bradley has flashed strong upside at the unique par 72, with two top-three finishes. As for his current form, Bradley went 2-1 in his matches at the Presidents Cup in September, including the singles win over Si Woo Kim that clinched the Presidents Cup victory for the United States.
Heading into this event, Bradley had made 13 of his previous 14 cuts, most notably with a win at the BMW Championship in August. Currently, the former major champion is the No. 13 ranked player in the world, but Bradley is only the 17th most lucrative golfer on DraftKings for the Hero World Challenge. The 38-year-old has the potential to finish inside the top half of the field this week and is an excellent bargain at this cheap price tag.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $200K Sand Trap [$50K to 1st]
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
