Golf Tips: Best bets for Hero World Challenge and Nedbank Golf Challenge

• In-form Matt Cooper backs Nicola Hojgaard each-way at 22/123.00

• Bhatia backed by Dave Tindall at 25/126.00

• Steve Rawlings tips Lawrence to shine in Sun City at 20/121.00

• First round leader bets and outsiders to back at over 100/1101.00

• Course information, players' form stats and more for this week's events

Hero World Challenge tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Scheffler fancied to double up

Steve Rawlings: "No stats are produced for this event for some reason, so we're hindered to a certain degree but current form is something to consider. Henrik Stenson was winning his first event in more than two years when he took the title here in 2019 but he's by some distance the biggest priced winner at Albany.

"Although he had finished fifth in both the BMW Championship and the ZOZO Championship, after failing to convert a 54-hole lead at the Open Championship in July, the 2022 winner, Viktor Hovland, who was defending the title, had been a bit quiet, but every other winner at this venue, and most of the winners of this tournament, have been bang in form.

"Last year's winner, Scottie Scheffler, had successfully defended his Phoenix Open title and won the Players Championship in the spring and he'd ticked over nicely all year after that, finishing inside the first three seven times without winning, and prior to his first win here in 2021, Hovland had won the World Wide Technology Championship in his previous start and the man that really should have won, Collin Morikawa, who traded at as short as 1.08 in-running before finishing fifth, had won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on his previous outing...

"Although he'd played in the Ryder Cup at the end of September, having not played an individual stroke play event in just over three months, Scheffler took a little while to get going last year and he was matched at 19.0 after he'd played his first six holes in two-over-par, but it was all over bar the shouting when he led by three after 54 holes.

"He's taken the same amount of time off this year, having not played since his facile four-stroke victory in the Tour Championship, so there's a chance that he takes his time to get going on Thursday but at odds of 5/2 or better, he looks a very solid bet.

"Those are the sort of odds we were seeing about the world number one in full field events in the summer and this is a decidedly weak looking renewal of the Hero. Given he's won eight of his last 15 events, and that he has Albany form figures reading 2-2-1, I'm quite surprised he's not shorter than 2/1 and I'm happy to play him before the off."

Two each-way picks at 25/1

Dave Tindall: "It could well be that the top four places are clogged up by the top five or six in the betting but I certainly think Akshay Bhatia warrants a bit of each-way interest at 25/1.

"The 22-year-old left-hander is already a two-time PGA Tour winner after adding to his 2023 Barracuda Championship victory by landing April's Valero Texas Open. Both those events were birdie-fests. While rust could be a factor for plenty of his rivals, it won't be for Bhatia as he's coming in off a second place at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan - an event won previously by Tiger (twice), Brooks Koepka and Padraig Harrington.

"He was fifth for Greens In Regulation and 11th in Putting Average there and closed with a 65. Then there is this week's location. Bhatia won the Great Exuma Classic in the Bahamas in 2022 when still a teenager and finished fourth when defending.

"He was also seventh in another Korn Ferry event here, the 2023 Great Abaco Classic. This place is really calm, peaceful ... the aura about this place leads into why I'm so calm," he said when winning the Great Exuma to become the third youngest Korn Ferry winner in history."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "Albany's Bermuda grass greens are significantly smaller than the PGA Tour average, while the fairways are reasonably generous and there is minimal rough. Water comes into play on just five holes. Unusually, there are just eight par fours at Albany which is a par-72 course.

"This will be the ninth time the tournament has been staged at Albany, which is a luxurious tourist resort located close to the south-east coastline of New Providence Island. There was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic.

"Other than Scheffler, the only player to have posted at least three top-six finishes at Albany is Justin Thomas 10/1. Despite two mediocre seasons by his own high standards, Thomas ended his PGA Tour campaign by saving his best till last, as he registered a tie-for-second at the Zozo Championship where he carded four rounds of 66 or better."

Nedbank Golf Challenge tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Look to Lawrence to succeed in Sun City

Steve Rawlings: "Last year's winner, Max Homa, ranked 25^th for DD, 16^th for DA and 11^th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. As it's at altitude, the ball travels around 10% further than it does at sea level, so Sun City doesn't play as long as the yardage suggests, but it's still a long course and getting it out there off the tee is important. And so is finding the fairways...

"The Kikuyu rough is notoriously hard to play from and missing fairways with regularity makes it impossible to find the number of greens necessary to compete. Lee Westwood has always been regarded as one of the best drivers in the world so it's no coincidence that he's prospered here, winning the Nedbank three times in total. Total Driving is a good stat to consider but Greens In Regulation and Scrambling are usually the most important...

"The favourite, Corey Connors, makes no appeal on debut and the defending champion, Max Homa, has been out of form for a long time but I was happy to chance Thriston Lawrence at 21.0.

"The South African has been in exceptional form throughout the summer (including a fourth-place finish in the Open) and although his form at the Gary Player Country Club is nothing to write home about, he plays well in his homeland, where he's already won twice on the DP World Tour and as recently as August this year on the Sunshine Tour."

Each-Way Tips: Hojgaard is Matt's main pick following 80/1 winner

Matt Cooper: "A couple of columns ago the subject of a Danish prince and his questions arose ("To be or not to be") and a different form of it is called for ahead of making the main selection.

"Thorbjorn Olesen was tempting. He's not been outside the top 25 in his last five starts, including second in France and third in Abu Dhabi. He was also third in this event last year and sixth at the Player-designed DLF last February.

"His price, however, looks about right if not on the short side while his compatriot - and fellow Danish prince - Nicolai Hojgaard is more backable at 22/1. He was second in this event 12 months ago and the lack of a recent top five finish has pushed him the right side of 20s.

"His last four starts have been far from poor, however. He was T18th at le Golf National, T20th at Sotogrande, ninth at Jack Nicklaus Korea and T13th at Yas Links.

"In that run his Strokes Gained driving stats were excellent in Spain and last time out, while his Approach work has headed in the right direction, peaking with fourth in Abu Dhabi."

First-Round Leader Tips: Picks from 35/1 to 90/1

Dave Tindall: "Ryan Van Velzen won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in 2023/24 so is clearly a player of some talent despite not quite hitting those heights so far in the current 2024/25 season.

"The South African did though manage a fourth and fifth in two of his latest three starts (August and September) although he suffered a dip when missing cuts in Scotland, Macau and Thailand (twice) when setting off on his travels.

"But a 24th in the Aussie PGA after nearly a month off may have reset him and now he'll try his luck again on a course where he finished runner-up (R2 64) in a Sunshine Tour event last October.

"He also finished second on another Gary Player layout, Blair Atholl, when runner-up in last year's South African Open so can handle these long, parkland layouts.

"A first-round leader at the Ubunye Championship on his last start in South Africa, the 22-year-old should enjoy his 10.27 tee-time alongside European notables Matteo Manassero and Niklas Norgaard."

Find Me a 100 Winner: Two longshots chanced at the Nedbank

Steve Rawlings: "As highlighted in the preview, form at Paris National often comes to the fore at this week's Nedbank Golf Challenge venue - the Gary Player Country Club - so the recent Open de France winner, Dan Bradbury, is an obvious pick at 100.0 given he's already shown a liking for the South African layout.

"The 25-year-old Englishman was in front after round one last year, on the first occasion he'd played the Nedbank, and he was only one off the lead at halfway before a pair of 71s saw him slip to fifth. Bradbury was winning for a second time on the DP World Tour when victorious in Paris and his first victory came in South Africa, at the Joburg Open two years ago.

"He finished third in the Joburg when defending last year so he's already demonstrated an ability to play well at the same event in South Africa when returning at this time of the year."

Place order to lay 8 Us @ 10.0 and 12 Us @ 2.0

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "This parkland venue, which is laid out just over 1,000 feet above sea level, has Kikuyu grass fairways and Bent grass putting surfaces. The course was carved out of densely wooded rolling countryside. Sun City has narrow tree-lined fairways and small but quick putting surfaces which are well protected by sand. Water comes into play on six holes and there is a handful of interesting dog-legs too.

"This is one of the poorest fields in the event's 40-plus year history, with only the out-of-form defending champion Max Homa currently ranked inside the world's top 40. One player who combines solid course form, with equally consistent current form, is the experienced Thorbjorn Olesen 18/1.

"The 34-year-old finished 13th in last season's Race to Dubai standings, good enough to secure him a place on next year's PGA Tour. Olesen, who stood on the Sun City podium 12 months ago, closed out the recently-completed season with five top-12 finishes from seven events."

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