After an exciting conclusion to the 2015 Australian Open, some of the best golfers on the planet now shift their focus to the upcoming Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas. This tournament will be held on December 3-6, and more importantly, will be the final chance for each player to make a splash and impress this year.
Who among the 18-player field will take home the trophy? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this exciting tournament and while you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks for the Hero World Challenge.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]2015 Hero World Challenge Betting Preview
Where: Albany, the Bahamas
When: December 3-6
Line: view all Hero World Challenge lines
Favorites – Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott
Jordan Spieth is finishing his stellar 2015 with a bang. The world no. 1 came so close to retaining his Australian Open title last week, losing to eventual champion Matt Jones by a single shot. He turned in an even-par 71 in the final round and missed an eagle try on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff.
[sc:Golf240banner ]Spieth has been exceptional this year recording five tournament wins, including victories at the Masters and the US Open. The American will fancy his chances of adding to that collection when he tees off at the Hero World Challenge this week.
He was hugely impressive in this event last year, shooting a course-record 26-under-par to win the tournament by a whopping 10 strokes. With the form that he is in right now and his experience with this particular event, expect Spieth to post some low numbers again this week.
Another player who’s playing some great golf at the moment is Adam Scott. Like Spieth, he finished second in the Australian Open, shooting a superb six-under 65 in the final round. One advantage that Scott has in this week’s event is that he will be playing in his adopted home course. Considering that this will be the first time that the Albany course will play host to this event, he will have a huge edge when it comes to course experience. Look for Scott to excel this week and capture his first tournament win of the year here in the Bahamas.
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High-Value Sleepers – Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka
One golfer who’s expected to contend this week is Dustin Johnson. His powerful long game perfectly suits this links course, which features five par-5s. He led the PGA Tour in driving distance last season, averaging an incredible 317.7 yards per drive. That will come in handy when tackling the long 7,400-yard, par-72 Albany course. Johnson, who finished tied for fifth in the HSBC Champions tournament last month, will be a definite threat for the championship this weekend.
Another golfer who’s primed for a huge performance this week is Brooks Koepka. Like Johnson, he’s one of the longest hitters on tour, averaging 308.2 yards per drive last season. He benefited greatly from that power swing this year, grabbing eight top-10 finishes including a maiden PGA Tour victory at the Phoenix Open last February.
For Koepka to add to his trophy collection this weekend, he needs to improve on his scoring average. He’s averaging just 71.454 strokes in his first two tournaments this season, 124th in the entire PGA Tour. That simply won’t do against a world-class field that features the top 11 players in the official world golf rankings.
Long Shot – Anirban Lahiri
One golfer who can definitely surprise this weekend is Anirban Lahiri. He moved up to 39th in the world golf rankings by virtue of his strong performances this year. He shot to prominence in the PGA Championship last August, finishing in a tie for fifth after shooting a solid 13-under-par total. That was the highest finish by an Indian professional golfer in a major championship.
He’s making some history again this week as he will be the first Indian player to participate in this invitation-only event. For Lahiri to record a shock victory this weekend, he needs to improve on his driving accuracy. He’s 190th in the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, posting a lowly 57.14 percent clip thus far this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Adam Scott ends his barren run with a victory here in the Hero World Challenge.
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