Golf Form Guide

Hero World Challenge 2023: Course and current form stats

Albany Resort first hosted this event in 2015
Albany combines links and desert features into the same layout

Many of the world's top golfers tee-up for the final time this year, at Tiger's invitational event in The Bahamas. Words and stats supplied by Andy Swales...

  • Eight of world's top 15 taking part

  • Big hitters can prosper on Albany's generous fairways

  • Homa 13/27.50 primed to finish year with another title


Tournament and Course Notes

• With $3.5m to be shared among 20 competitors, this lucrative tournament is hosted by 15-time major winner Tiger Woods and raises money for the former world No 1's charitable foundation;

• This PGA Tour-sanctioned event does not affect the FedEx Cup standings, although the winner will still pocket $1m, while the player finishing 20th and last will collect a bumper pay-day worth £100k. There are, however, World Ranking points at stake;

• Designed by Ernie Els and opened in October 2010, the course has plenty of sand, while combining links and desert features into the same layout;

• Albany's Bermuda grass greens are significantly smaller than the PGA Tour average, while its fairways are reasonably generous and there is minimal rough. Water comes into play on just five holes;

• This will be the eighth time the tournament has been staged at the Albany Resort, which is located close to the south-east coastline of New Providence island There was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic;

• Fifteen of the world's top 25 will compete in this year's Hero World Challenge.


Latest betting for this week's Hero World Challenge


This Week's Field

Norway's Victor Hovland 7/24.50 is chasing a hat-trick of wins, while world No 1 Scottie Scheffler 11/26.50 will be keen to avenge his losses at Albany in 2021 and 2022. The American was runner-up to Hovland on both occasions.

The big issue facing Scheffler will be his competitiveness this coming week.

One of the main complaints levelled at the defeated United States team at this year's Ryder Cup, was that they lacked a competitive edge going into the match - and subsequently only won one of the opening 12 ties.

The same opinion can be applied to a number of players taking part this week, including Scheffler whose most recent 72-hole tournament was the Tour Championship in August.

Maybe best to plump for a pro who has teed-up more recently. Two players who fit this bill are Max Homa 13/27.50 and Justin Thomas 16/117.00.

Homa has competed twice since the Tour Championship, finishing tied-seventh at the Fortinet Championship and winning at Sun City in South Africa.

He was also America's most successful performer at the Ryder Cup.

Thomas also played in those two events, and posted top-five finishes in both. His last three appearances at Albany have each yielded top-5s too.

Two other names to mention are Collin Morikawa 7/18.00 and Rickie Fowler 18/119.00.

Morikawa has won on the PGA Tour since playing in the Ryder Cup, while Fowler - who is a former champion at Albany - returned to the winners' enclosure in early July, thanks to a victory in Detroit.


Betfair Sportsbook


Stroke Averages


All-Time Albany Averages (2015-22)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.75: Viktor Hovland (8)
68.13: Scottie Scheffler (8)
68.25: Rickie Fowler (20)
69.10: Justin Rose (21)
69.13: Collin Morikawa (8)
69.38: Tony Finau (16)
69.40: Justin Thomas (20)
69.88: Sam Burns (8)
70.31: Tiger Woods (16)
70.42: Jordan Spieth (24)
70.63: Matt Fitzpatrick (8)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
Only those entered this week are included in table

Last 10 Weeks / Albany Form (2015-22)

Position

  • 1–5
  • 6–15
  • 16–25
Player W47 W46 W45 W44 W43 W42 W41 W40 W39 W38
Scottie Scheffler
Viktor Hovland 2
Max Homa 1
Matt Fitzpatrick 27 1
Brian Harman 44
Wyndham Clark 37 56
Collin Morikawa 1
Jordan Spieth
Keegan Bradley 19
Cameron Young 38 54
Sam Burns
Jason Day
Tony Finau
Rickie Fowler 64
Sepp Straka 22
Justin Thomas 4
Lucas Glover 45 59
Will Zalatoris
Justin Rose 51 57
Tiger Woods
Player 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Scottie Scheffler 2 2
Viktor Hovland 1 1
Max Homa 17
Matt Fitzpatrick 13 12
Brian Harman
Wyndham Clark
Collin Morikawa 6 5
Jordan Spieth 15 20 16 3 6 4
Keegan Bradley 15
Cameron Young 3
Sam Burns 12 3
Jason Day 16
Tony Finau 7 7 10 2
Rickie Fowler 9 5 1 3 3
Sepp Straka 10
Justin Thomas 5 5 5 12 11
Lucas Glover
Will Zalatoris
Justin Rose 9 5 3 5 Wd 13
Tiger Woods 4 17 9 15
No of Starters: 20 20 18 18 18 18 18

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