Why yes, we do still have golf to bet on in the year 2024.

It’s not quite a signature event and it most certainly is not a full-field event, but it is the Hero World Challenge, where 20 of the best players in the world will be vying for the $1 million first-place check at Albany Resort in the Bahamas.

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Tiger Woods, the tournament host, will not be teeing it up this year, citing the fact that he’s not “sharp” enough to compete at this level. Fans will get to see World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler as well as two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas, 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark and eight-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay.

With only 20 players in the field, we’ll be keeping it light with our picks this week. One outright winner, one matchup bet. Here’s who we like.

Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor: Russell Henley, outright winner (14-1, FanDuel) — Henley is the recent leader in this field in fairways gained, and that’s a good start for picking apart Albany. Henley also rates out top four in ball-striking over the last 50 rounds, per datagolf. The irons are consistently good week-to-week, and he hasn’t lost in strokes-gained/approach in 12 starts.

Keith Stewart, Read The Line: Sam Burns (14-1, FanDuel) — If you’re looking to beat Scottie Scheffler, look no further than his best friend on tour, Sam Burns. The best from the bayou state is the field leader in Birdie-or-Better percentage. In a small event with even shorter odds, finding value is a challenge. In these situations, picking a player with the highest ceiling (within reason) makes the most sense. Burns is long off the tee (ranked eighth) and has the short-game acumen needed to score on the five par 5s and two short par 4s. The field leader for scoring on medium length par 3s (175-200), long par 4s (450-500), and Bermudagrass putting has what it takes to produce a perfect storm win in the mid-Atlantic.

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest dep. managing editor: Tom Kim (25-1, FanDuel) — Tom Kim deserves some more respect. He’s the second-best approach player and second-best birdie maker in this field, behind only Scottie Scheffler over the past 36 rounds, per RickRunGood.com. We know TK loves the Fall, winning the past two years in the Fall Swing. It’s time to dial up TK in Albany.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Cameron Young (28-1, DraftKings) — Like Steve, I’m going a bit farther down the board to find some value, because you might as well take a shot on a strong player in a 20-person field. I’ve wanted to quit Cameron Young many times now but these odds are simply too juicy in an event like this.

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Gdula: Head-to-head tournament matchup, Ludvig Aberg (-125) over Patrick Cantlay (FanDuel) — Both guys here are in good form and are good putters. As usual for me, the gap is in the ball-striking, where Aberg is second recently, and Cantlay is 11th over the last 50 rounds, via datagolf.

Stewart: Head-to-head tournament matchup, Nick Dunlap (+100) over Brian Harman (Bet365) — One year ago, Nick Dunlap was preparing to attend the SEC Championship game in support of Alabama. Now a two-time PGA Tour winner, he’s playing in the Hero World Challenge and hosted by Tiger Woods. When I heard Brian Harman at the RSM Classic, I was concerned. Sitting in the media center, he let us know he was not focused on golf this Fall offseason. Scoring takes sharp irons, and Harman was not dialed in on approach at his home Sea Island. I’ll take Dunlap’s scoring ability and bookend his banner year with another head-to-head win.

Hennessey: Head-to-head tournament matchup, Wyndham Clark (-110) over Jason Day (DraftKings) — Clark boasts a pretty significant edge off the tee and is a positive approach player this season, whereas Jason Day was one of the worst players on tour on approach shots in 2024. J-Day’s short game is a weapon, but so is Clark’s, so I’ll side with the player with the length and approach advantage, both big at Albany.

Powers: Head-to-head tournament matchup, Cameron Young (+100) over Brian Harman (DraftKings) — Easy one for me here. My pick to win at even money over Harman, who tied for 25th at the RSM Classic but lost nearly three strokes on approach and drove it quite poorly.

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com