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2021 Hero World Challenge Betting: Former U.S. Open champ set to shine in Bahamas

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19 of the world’s top 50, plus defending champion Henrik Stenson will be teeing it up in Albany, The Bahamas, this week for the Hero World Challenge.

The tournament is not an official PGA Tour event and does not award any FedEx Cup points, but it will count towards the Official World Golf Ranking. While offering World Ranking points for the event is a bit controversial, it does provide an incentive for some of the world’s best players to participate in the event.

Albany Golf Club is hosting the event and is located in a super-exclusive resort that both Tiger Woods has invested in and is also the host of the event.

The course is a Par 72 measuring 7,309 yards and features an unconventional setup with five par 5’s and five par 3’s. The course is described as having characteristics of both a desert golf course and a links golf course and winning scores have been between -18 and -25 since 2015, which was when Albany Golf Club started hosting the event.

Hero World Challenge Outright Betting Picks

Justin Rose +(2800)

Justin Rose comes into the Hero World Challenge as one of the handful of golfers who have been playing recently, having finished 12th a few weeks ago at the RSM Classic. The Englishman played quite well in the event, gaining strokes on the field in every measurable category, including an impressive 4.8 strokes from tee to green for the week. After a down year, Rose has shown some flashes of getting back on track, having finished 10th at Wyndham and 6th at Wentworth prior to his encouraging week at the RSM Classic.

In addition to some encouraging recent form for the 41-year-old, Rose has also shown that he loves Albany Golf Club. He has finished in the top 5 in his past three trips to Albany: boasting a 5th, 3rd, and 5th in the three starts. Rose’s comfortability at the course may be attributed to the fact that he was a longtime Bahamas resident. He shot a closing 62 on Sunday in the 2015 edition of the event, proving he has what it takes to go low here.

Both recent and course form are clearly in Rose’s favor this week, but there is another factor that pushes him over the edge for me: motivation. A major aspect of handicapping the Hero World Challenge is trying to determine who is there to enjoy a vacation with their family or significant other and who is there to compete for a victory. For me, it is quite clear that Justin Rose is there for the latter reason. Currently sitting at 47th in the Official World Golf Rankings, a good finish this week would go a long way. He has been remarkably consistent throughout his career and is in danger of falling out of the world’s top 50 for the first time in a decade.

While many in the field view the Hero World Challenge as a “hit and giggle” event, Justin Rose is there to hoist a trophy on Sunday.

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19th Hole

3-time PGA Tour winner calls for LIV to buy Champions Tour to fix ‘joke’ purses

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While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.

“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.

“Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”

In 2024, the Champions Tour had a total of $67 million in prize money over the course of 24 events.

DiMarco also defended LIV players for taking the money and said he would take it also.

“They wanted to play for a lot of money, and they deserve it. They have had some great careers, why not go and get some money?”

DiMarco also offered insight on Graeme McDowell’s move to LIV.

“I saw Graeme McDowell at the Old Memorial Pro Member, and he goes, ‘Listen, I went up to Jay Monahan and said I love the tour but I am struggling to keep my card and these guys are offering me all this money and less golf. I’m sorry, I’m going.’ And I do not blame him one bit, and I said I would have too.”

DiMarco was ranked as high as 6th in the world in 2006.

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‘It won’t win you golf tournaments’ – Golf analyst rips Charley Hull’s course management

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Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.

After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.

While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.

“I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.

“The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.

“In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else. If you put Charley against Nelly Korda, then I’m picking Nelly every single day of the week.”

Johnson also made a fascinating comparison between Hull and a famous male golfer, John Daly.

“Golf-wise that’s the way she plays the game and it’s a little bit like watching John Daly I suppose.”

“There’s something that John Daly had that made him a major winner and a winner, but Charley is kind of lacking that. Her talent is not in question, but maybe her application is. Maybe it’s just the case of her never changing and that will cost her golf tournaments, there’s no two ways about it. You cannot go for every pin because that’s the way you play and it being fun, as other players are better than that and you have to have course management.”

Hull is still only 27, and therefore has plenty of time to work on her flaws to achieve the success her talent should allow.

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Former agent lifts lid on being fired by ‘zombie’ Tiger Woods

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Discussing his new book “Rainmaker” with the Daily Mail, Tiger Woods’ former agent, Hughes Norton, recounted the events leading up to and after his split with the 15-time major champion.

Norton was abruptly fired by Woods in 1998 after his 1997 Masters win and monster deal with Nike.

In the book, Norton talks about the way Tiger views his relationships, calling him a “zombie.”

The solace I can take, which doesn’t provide much, is this: He was an equal opportunity zombie with relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the guy negotiated the IMG representation deal, with caddies, When it’s over, it’s over.”

Norton added:

“It is the way he terminates relationships with everyone. Whether it’s girlfriends, whether it’s his former golf coaches. It’s ironic, really. In a way he’s so good at confrontation on the golf course. If he’s playing you, he will beat your brains out every single time.

“But when it comes to confronting things like me and other people that are in his life, he has no social skills whatsoever. It’s maddening, actually.”

After he was fired by Woods, Norton was let go by IMG, which he believes was due to Woods’ influence.

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