Hero World Challenge 2025: Dave Tindall's each-way picks from 18/1 to 28/1

• 18/119.00 Hideki Matsuyama is a past winner coming into form

• 20/121.00 Justin Rose has a home here and played well in Dubai

• 28/129.00 Andrew Novak can add gloss to a breakthrough year

Introduction to the Hero World Challenge

The PGA Tour finished in Sea Island, Georgia two weeks ago when Finland's Sami Valimaki won the RSM Classic.

But before the year closes, golf fans get a final chance to see a bit of 72-hole strokeplay in The Americas as some top names head to The Bahamas for the annual Hero World Challenge.

It's hosted by Tiger Woods but, after another operation, the great man won't be part of the limited 20-man field.

But there is star quality on offer as eight players from September's Ryder Cup along with American skipper Keegan Bradley tee it up at Albany.

The course, an Ernie Els design, measures 7,449 yards from the tips and features five par 3s and five par 5s.

It's a links-style track exposed to the elements and has Bermuda greens that can't run too fast in case the winds blow.

Scottie Scheffler has captured the last two editions with scores of 25-under and 20-under, winning by six in 2024 and by three in 2023.

He was runner-up to Viktor Hovland in both 2021 and 2022 so even though this is the World No.1's first start since the Ryder Cup, plenty of punters may be happy to back him at 6/42.50 and be done with it.

Robert MacIntyre at 10/111.00 and Cameron Young at 11/112.00 come next in the betting.

Weather-wise, the course's main defence is wind but there's nothing too severe in this week's forecast.

It's around 10-14mph for the first two days, very calm on Saturday and picks up a little on Sunday.

Bet 1: Hideki Matsuyama @ 18/119.00

I'm going to focus on players with a recent run and a good one at that.

Scheffler aside, that's been a good pointer and nearly half of the field haven't played for the last eight weeks.

One man who has is Hideki Matsuyama and he lifted the trophy here back in 2016 when shooting 18-under to win by two from Henrik Stenson, the champion in 2019.

The Japanese star was also fifth here in 2017 when defending and this will be his first start in the event since 2018.

Add in a superb record (two wins and a second) in the Phoenix Open at Scottsdale - a course that correlates well - and he can flourish when the scenery is open.

But what gets him firmly in the crosshairs is current form.

In September Matsuyama was 13th at Wentworth, October brought 20th in the Baycurrent Classic in Japan and seventh in the Genesis Championship in South Korea while a couple of weeks ago he took fifth at home in the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament.

His short game looked sharp in that latter event and will serve him well on this course.

Matsuyama, who started 2025 by shooting 35-under to win The Sentry in Hawaii (on another windy, exposed layout), looks to be playing his way into form and that extra sharpness over many of his rivals could be a big factor.

Back him each-way at 18/119.00 (1/4 Odds, 4 Places).

Bet 2: Justin Rose @ 20/121.00

Justin Rose will mark 2025 down as a year to remember after helping Europe to an away Ryder Cup victory.

It also included his 12th PGA Tour win as he outlasted J.J. Spaun in a playoff to capture August's FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the playoffs.

Most recently, showing off some post-Bethpage glow, we saw him put up a solid display in mid-November's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai where he finished 16th after sitting second at halfway.

The Englishman struck it nicely, ranking 12th for SG: Approach or 7th for GIR in old money.

The added element here is that he has a family home at Albany.

Starting from 2017 his course form reads 5-3-5-9-8, his last four Sunday scores in that run showing two 65s and a pair of 66s.

Obviously those five top 10s need to be put into the context of it being a 20-man field but I've always had in mind he could win this and 20s is a decent enough each-way price. 

Speaking a few years ago about playing at Albany, Rose said: "I've had the fortune to play at home a few times. The Wentworth tournament is close to where I grew up, so that always felt like home. The Bay Hill tournament in Orlando felt like home, lived there for seven or eight years. And now this one feels like home."

Checking the records, he's finished second, third (twice) and eighth (this year) at Bay Hill and is a two-time runner-up at Wentworth.

Time then to get his first 'home' win. Take the 20s. 

Bet 3: Andrew Novak (W/O Scheffler) @ 28/129.00

There's also a W/O Scottie Scheffler market this week although Matsuyama at 12s and Rose 14s don't really appeal.

That's partly because, as world-class former major winners, they will also have the belief that they can beat him.

But I will play Andrew Novak in this market, the trade off being a seven-point cut to 28/129.00. The each-way terms are 1/5, 4 Places but in the strong likelihood that Scheffler makes the top four, we can collect on Novak if he makes the top five.

A strong part of removing Scheffler from the equation, of course, is the idea of Novak perhaps being a little overawed if battling him down the stretch. Playing this market would mean we could watch that stress free.

That said, let's not be too keen to write Novak off as some have-a-go hero as the same could have applied to J.J. Spaun who won the US Open.

Novak has had his best year so far after winning the Zurich Classic pairs event alongside Ben Griffin and also making a play-off in the RBC Heritage (a Signature Series event no less) where he lost out to Justin Thomas.

In his last four starts, the 30-year-old has a sixth at St Jude and a seventh in the recent RSM Classic where he opened 61-63 to grab the halfway lead.

Other strong form by the coast includes third in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines earlier this year. 

Novak also became a new Dad last month so perhaps he'll have some Nappy Factor vibes going on too.

It's his first start at Albany but he has the form and confidence to make a mark.

*You can follow me on Twitter @DaveTindallgolf

Now read Steve Rawlings' preview of the Hero World Challenge