The 2022 Hero World Challenge will begin on December 1st. Despite the lack of FedEx Cup points, the event has a stacked field competing for a $3.5 million payout.
Tiger Woods limited-field event was dealt a big setback on Tuesday when the ace golfer confirmed his withdrawal. Due to a foot issue, the 15-time PGA Tour champion withdrew from the event. Conversely, the challenge will remain intriguing because the 20-man field includes some of the PGA Tour’s top players.
Woods will be absent from the 2022 Hero World Challenge field. On the other hand, the golfer must attend the opening ceremonies, including the press conference for the event he is hosting. Surprisingly, Austrian golfer, Sepp Straka took the ace golfer’s place.
Aside from Straka, the lineup in Albany will include Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and Collin Morikawa. While Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Max Homa, and Tony Finau compete for the top prize in the 72-hole event, Viktor Hovland will seek to retain his title.
How to Watch the 2022 Hero World Challenge:
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on the following channels and golf channels, NBC, FuboTV, and here:
Live Broadcast: 2022 Hero World Challenge Live (try it free)
2022 Hero World Challenge Start Time and Date:
All times ET.
Here are the tee-off times for the 2022 Hero World Challenge (All times ET):
1st tee
- 11 am – Cameron Young, Tom Kim
- 11:11 am – Billy Horschel, Sungjae Im
- 11:22 am – Kevin Kisner, Sam Burns
- 11:33 am – Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood
- 11:44 am – Corey Conners, Shane Lowry
- 11:55 am – Max Homa, Tony Finau
- 12:06 pm – Sepp Straka, Justin Thomas
- 12:17 pm – Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm
- 12:28 pm – Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth
- 12:39 pm – Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
Thursday, Dec. 1
Start Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 2
Start Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 3
Start Time: 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Start Time: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
2022 Hero World Challenge odds and picks:
According to several reports, Jon Rahm is the favorite to win the Hero World Challenge. The golfer has a one-shot advantage over the other 20 competitors. It would be interesting to see if the Spaniard can cap off an otherwise successful year by winning the event’s seventh edition at Albany Golf Course.
Rahm is also considered the favorite by PGA Tour experts. The Spaniard leads the power rankings on the American circuit, followed by Scottie Scheffler. Rahm ranked first in this week’s Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, will have to overcome No. 4 Scheffler to win.
On the predictions list, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Matt Fitzpatrick all trail the two. However, many believe Hovland’s chances of defending his crown this weekend are slim.
It is important to note that Woods’ withdrawal from the event will have little impact on the expert picks because his form in previous events was regarded below par.
Here is the top odds list for the 2022 Hero World Challenge:
- Jon Rahm – 600
- Scottie Scheffler – 900
- Tony Finau – 1000
- Justin Thomas – 1100
- Xander Schauffele – 1200
- Matt Fitzpatrick – 1400
- Viktor Hovland – 1400
- Collin Morikawa – 1800
- Sam Burns – 1800
- Sungjae Im – 1800
- Tom Kim – 1800
- Cameron Young – 2000
- Jordan Spieth – 2000
- Shane Lowry – 2000
- Tommy Fleetwood – 2000
- Corey Conners – 2800
- Max Homa – 2800
- Billy Horschel – 3500
- Kevin Kisner – 7000
2022 Hero World Challenge predictions:
The model predicts one major surprise at the 2022 Hero World Challenge: Finau, one of the favorites at 9-1, falls and finishes outside the top five. Finau is one of the favorites due to his recent performance. After a strong finish that featured back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, he finished ninth overall in the 2021-22 PGA standings.
On the other hand, Finau missed the Mayakoba cut earlier this month. After finishing second in this event in 2019, he struggled, finishing 10th in 2019 and seventh in 2021. Finau is a golfer to fade in the 2022 Hero World Challenge best bets because the model doesn’t like the value of him having the third-lowest odds in the field.
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Collin Morikawa, an 18-1 longshot, also makes a strong run for the crown. He has a considerably higher chance of winning than his long odds suggest, so he’s a good choice for anyone seeking a big payout. Morikawa has competed in three PGA events in the fall. He finished T15 in his best performance in Mayakoba earlier in November. He recovered admirably from a 71 in the first round, shooting 68 or better in Rounds 2-4.
This is his second appearance at Albany, and he showed lots of promise last year, finishing fifth. He was in contention entering Sunday until shooting a disappointing 76. But he should be confident going into this one after shooting three rounds of 68 or higher in that event last year. This week, the model loves his worth at 18-1.
