Hero World Challenge 2024: Course and current form stats

• Small greens, plenty of sand for Tiger-hosted event

• Five par-3s and five par-5s at the Albany Resort

• Scottie 11/5 never lower than second in three visits

Tournament and Course Notes

• Twenty leading golfers have journeyed to The Bahamas to compete in the lucrative Hero World Challenge. Total purse for this end-of-year, four-day event, is $5m, of which $1m is handed over to the winner. Even the player who finishes last will earn $120k.

• The tournament, which is hosted by 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, raises money for the former world No 1's charitable foundation. Eight players will be making their tournament debut, while the lowest-ranked golfer teeing-up is world No 39 Sepp Straka.

• This week's venue, Albany Resort, was 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. Ernie's venue encourages aggressive golf and big hitting.

• 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.

Three To Watch

With regards to a strong course history, world No 1 Scottie Scheffler 11/5 stands out from the crowd.

In three previous visits, Scheffler has finished 2nd-2nd-1st, and his 12 Albany rounds average 67.75.

The only issue for those placing a bet is that he hasn't teed up in a 72-hole tournament since the final round of the Tour Championship on 1 September.

He did, however, play in the Presidents Cup and a number of those taking part this week have also had sketchy schedules since the FedEx Cup Play-Offs ended more than three months ago.

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.

Of those making their Albany debuts, Sahith Theegala 22/1 might offer the best chance of victory. He drives the ball just over 300 yards, while his all-round game is strong. He's played twice since the Tour Championship in Atlanta where he carded the second lowest 72-hole total.

Stroke Averages

At Albany Golf Club (2015-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.75: Scottie Scheffler (12)
69.17: Justin Thomas (24)
69.38: Sepp Straka (8)
69.88: Cameron Young (8)
70.25: Sam Burns (12)
70.38: Jason Day (8)
70.38: Patrick Cantlay (8)
70.50: Keegan Bradley (8)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
Only those entered this week are included in table

Now read Nedbank Challenge 2024: Course and current form stats