Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – 2015 Hero World Challenge

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2015 Hero World Challenge

The 2015 Hero World Challenge Fantasy Preview

This week’s Hero World Challenge will showcase a small field of the best golfers in the world coming together for an intense competition.  Five different countries will be represented in the field and astonishingly the short list of elite players making the trip to the Bahamas to compete this week have combined for 91 victories on TOUR—if Tiger were playing this year that number would almost be doubled.

Because of the abbreviated field will contain just 24 players this week we will be scaling back our usual picks segment from five picks (plus two sleepers) to instead offer you our three best picks to win, along with a sample DraftKings roster or two since the popular weekly fantasy sports website is hosting a handful of contests this week.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

We are coming off the heels of our second winner picked (third if you count our Tuesday sleeper segment) so far in the first 6 events played in the 2015-2016 season.

With Kisner’s win at the RSM Classic, we have now successfully notched over $5.4 million in total fantasy earnings so far this season, and we’re just getting warmed up.

Be sure to check out our fall series stats breakdown for all of our winning stats so far this season.

The Field

Although this is not a match play event, the Hero World Challenge will host a lot of the recent match play golfers that participated in the 2015 President’s Cup.

R I C K I E on Instagram: “Little twilight 9 holes with @jimmywalkerpga #HeroWorldChallenge”

R I C K I E shared a post on Instagram: “Little twilight 9 holes with @jimmywalkerpga #HeroWorldChallenge”. Follow their account to see 1766 posts.

Ten of the 12 U.S players are slated to play this week include Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar,Jimmy  Walker, J.B. Holmes, Patrick Reed, Chris Kirk, and Bill Haas.

Here is the full field for this week’s event:

Remember that this is a very limited field event so be sure to choose wisely when drafting your fantasy roster as there is sure to be very little variation among your competition this week.

The Course

The Albany resort course will measure in at 7,400 yards and play as a par 72 this week.  This vacation destination golf course was designed by Ernie Els and it combines the best of links and desert features all into one with breathtaking views and lush green surroundings.

Brooks Koepka on Instagram: “Already getting pumped to play in the Bahamas! #heroworldchallenge @twfoundation #albany #wintergolf”

Brooks Koepka shared a post on Instagram: “Already getting pumped to play in the Bahamas! #heroworldchallenge @twfoundation #albany #wintergolf”. Follow their account to see 389 posts.

[gard group=’3′]

Weather Forecast for Albany, New Providence, Bahamas

You can expect some warm Bahamas weather this week but players and fans should prepare for rain that will threaten the area all week.  All this expected precipitation means that the course will be extremely soft and the wind gusts on Sunday are expected to be over 20 mph at times.

Last Year’s Results from the Hero World Challenge

In 2014 it was the beginning of what was to be a career year for Jordan Spieth as he walked away with the HWC trophy before heading into the 2015 season where he won over $22 million dollars and two majors.

Jordan closed with a 6-under 66 and notched two tournament records as he won by a whopping 10 shots over Henrik Stenson.  Spieth opened his final round with three birdies in four holes and never turned back.  No other player in the field even stood a chance.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TYcBcvoocA&end=162&width=742&height=419[/embedyt]

This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday: 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday 12:00 pm – 2:30pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Sunday: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST (Golf Channel)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Sunday: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST
• Mobile Broadcasts 
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra App for iOS and Android.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Hero World Challenge this Week

Not a great deal of fantasy action out there this week given the limitations of such a small-field event.  Fantasy Feud appears to be sitting this event out but StarsDraft and DraftKings are still some of the bigger venues who will be hosting contests for the Hero World Challenge.

• DraftKings PGA $100K Birdie ($100,000 Guaranteed):  As mentioned, this is really the only “big” game in town this week.  Although DraftKings is running a few different entries for this event, this particular game is the one with the biggest payout ($10,000 to first) for only a $3 entry.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Hero World Challenge

Keep in mind when making your picks this week that this is a very limited field of only 24 golfers.   You may see some studs with an eye-catching $7K price tag but remember that the price is all relative to the field and the betting odds linked to that particular player.

It’s going to be a unique challenge picking a team of 6 players out of 24 studs who can all theoretically win this event.  We’ll provide you with our three best picks and the one sleeper pick to run with this week and we’ll even give you a sample DraftKings roster to help you get the leg up on your fantasy league this week.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 3 (and Top Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Hero World Challenge

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Top 3 Picks/Odds to Win the Hero World Challenge

Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 4/1 FPPG: 98.50 GPFP: NA Salary:$11,200): Jordan is the clear favorite this week coming as the No. 1 ranked player in the World is also this event’s defending champion.  Look for Spieth to build on his career-year in 2015 and he should find himself on top of the fantasy salary lists fighting it our with McIlory for the upcoming 2016 events.  Spieth is still beaming with confidence as evidenced by the fact that he nearly pulled out a victory recently at the Australian Masters.  Don’t let his GIR stats sway you (below), he only played in one event this season and ended up finishing T7 nonetheless.

• GIR Rank: 258th
• Scrambling: 14th
• Putting Average: 6th

* Most Notable Stat: Putts Per Round (1st)

Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 16/1 FPPG: 89.8 GPFP: 89.75 Salary: $9,100): Fowler broke through last year with two huge wins and some strong finishes.  He’ll be playing among all his buddies this week and should be plenty loose and ready to have some fun out there.  Rickie has played in two events so far this season and finished no worse than T25 in either contest.  If you have to pick one guy in the low $9,000 salary range, Fowler should be your go-to this week.

• GIR Rank: 161st
• Scrambling: 77th
• Putting Average: 21st

* Most Notable Stat: Strokes Gained Putting (1st)

Hideki Matsuyama (Golficity Odds 22/1 FPPG: 79.50 GPFP: 80.00 Salary: $8,900):  We leaned towards picking Adam Scott with the lower price tag in the $8K range but ultimately had to stick to our gut on this one.  Hideki Matusyama is a premier player with the ability to beat anybody in this illustrious field.  Scott on the other hand has been trending in the wrong direction and still has a lot left to prove before making back up into the elite class he once held.  So far this season Matsuyama has a T17, 5th, and WD.  He’s striking the ball very consistently and could easily be victorious on this soft course.

• GIR Rank: 65th
• Scrambling: 37th
• Putting Average: 35th

* Most Notable Stat: Strokes Gained Putting (5th) 

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Hero World Challenge

Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 40/1 FPPG: 70.50 GPFP: 59.22 Salary: $6,800): Walker always seems to crank up the juice this time of year and he’s been putting in some extra work with Butch during the short off-season.  The bulk of Walker’s five total PGA TOUR wins (all of which came in 2014 & 2015), have occurred between October and February.   His seasonal success isn’t the only reason we’re picking him as our sleeper this week and to see Walker with a $6,800 price tag makes us very excited.  Having Walker on your squad will allow you to have Spieth on your roster with the extra salary room.

• GIR Rank: 170th
• Scrambling: 169th
• Putting Average: 130th

* Most Notable Stat:  Driving Distance (14th)

DraftKings Roster Suggestion for the Hero World Challenge

[/membership]

Last Week’s Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the RSM Classic

• Justin Thomas (Golficity Odds 10/1) T58 ($12,540)
• Zach Johnson (Golficity Odds 12/1) T75 ($10,488)
• Russell Henley (Golficity Odds 18/1)  T6 ($190,950)
• Kevin Kisner (Golficity Odds 26/1)  WINNER ($1,026,000)
• Peter Malnati (Golficity Odds 38/1) T75 ($10,488)

Last Week’s Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the RSM Classic

• Brendon de Jonge (Golficity Odds 60/1) T33 (27,049)

Last Week’s Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the RSM Classic

• Spencer Levin (Golficity Odds 77/1) MC

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD (2015-2016)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”16.67%” bar_text=”7 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”21.42%” bar_text=”9 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”33.33%” bar_text=”2 out of 6 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Sleeper Report Winners Picked” percent=”16.67%” bar_text=”1 out of 6 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”33.33%” bar_text=”2 out of 6 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”80.00%” bar_text=”28 out of 35 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Major Winners Picked (TBD)” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 0 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2015 Hero World Challenge with other Premium Members.

---

Cover Photo by sergeant.bacon on Flickr