Top Golf Pick: Rickie Fowler to Finish in Top 5 (+275) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Rickie Fowler, the 2017 champion at Albany, aims for a strong comeback after a hiatus at the Hero World Challenge. Having conquered the Rocket Mortgage Classic in a stellar season, Fowler’s consistent form and history at Albany make him a compelling choice for victory or a top-five finish.
Check out the golf betting lines and odds available at the top offshore sportsbooks.
Hero World Challenge 2023
November 30 – December 03, 2023, at Albany Golf Club, Providence Island, Bahamas
Course Notes
- Par 72, 7414 yards.
- Designed by Greg Letsche.
- Man-made flat track with manicured sand dunes.
- Generous fairways.
- Below average-sized Bermuda Tiff eagle green.
- Unusually five par 5s and five par 3s.
Previous Champions
What Can We Expect From Tiger Woods?
At BMR, we find the best bets for the Hero World Challenge, when Tiger Woods returns to competition at the event, hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
So, what can we expect from the sport’s Goat on his much-anticipated return to the course? Knowing the course well must be a positive, along with the fact that it is always an easy test in keeping with resort golf. The flat terrain and pleasant weather forecast won’t put any excessive demands on the injured leg, so this is his best opportunity possible to ease back into competitive action.
Back in his heyday, Tiger Woods was at his best when returning from a break, so I would not completely rule him out, but it will be a watching brief on the great man this week.
Don’t Be a “Doubting Thomas” With Justin
Like a moth to a flame, I am drawn towards Justin Thomas this week. There are some super obvious reasons why here at BMR we are considering the 2022 PGA Champion this week.
2023 has been a well-documented poor year for the thirty-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, in stark contrast to the previous year, when he won his second major championship —indeed his second PGA Championship.
A real positive for Thomas, albeit at a lower level, is that Thomas never gave up the fight to make the end-of-season FedEx Cup, and his play showed a little of his old sparkle.
Afterwards, he was made a “Captain’s Pick” for the Ryder Cup, and performed with much credit given how the Europeans gave the United States a real drubbing. Fast forward and Thomas's clubs have never been put in the garage, as he played the Nedbank Challenge a few weeks ago on the DP World Tour, where he finished an impressive 4th on his course debut at the Gary Player Golf Course in Sun City.
The Picks
It could be argued Thomas is sharper than most of his competition this week, many of whom will have put the clubs in the garage in recent weeks and months.
There has been promise also in his recent showings at the Hero World Challenge with a hat-trick of 5th place finishes in succession, so there are many factors pointing positively towards Justin Thomas's chances this week.
Golf Pick: Justin Thomas to Win Outright (+1500) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Golf Pick: Justin Thomas to Finish in Top 5 (+200) at BetOnline
Can We Trust the Orange Man in the Bahamas
The case for Rickie Fowler, who was a champion here in 2017 and a mainstay in the top 10 when competing at Albany, looks like a solid one.
Interestingly, the thirty-four-year-old Californian has not played in the last three renewals due to his slump in form. That downswing of form is well and truly behind Fowler after a comeback season, when he won the Rocket Mortgage Classic. It has been a stellar year where Fowler finished in the top 20 of thirteen of the first sixteen events. He played on the PGA Tour as well.
During that consistent run of form, he had several near misses, and his 5th in the U.S. Open after leading for the first 54 holes could have been a crushing blow, but Fowler soon put those thoughts to bed at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The Picks
Rickie Fowler has never finished worse than 9th at the Albany Golf Course, so let’s support the “Orange Man” to modest stakes at this year’s Hero World Challenge.
Golf Pick: Rickie Fowler to Win Outright (+2000) at Bovada
Golf Pick: Rickie Fowler to Finish in Top 5 (+275) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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