Hero World Challenge 2024 DFS Picks This Week: Predictions, Values & Projections
Published: Dec 04, 2024
The PGA TOUR wraps up the year with the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas. This 7,449-yard par-72 layout features Bermudagrass greens and welcomes 20 of the world's top players.
Unlike the FedExCup Fall, no FedExCup points are awarded this week, but players will earn OWGR points.
Hero World Challenge 2024: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections
A December tradition for nearly 25 years, the event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. While Woods remains sidelined following surgery, the field is stacked with elite talent. Defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the roster, aiming to cap a stellar 2024 season, highlighted by seven victories.
With no cut, fans can expect four days of top-tier competition in a laid-back Bahamas setting to close out the year.
Albany Golf Course: Breakdown This Week
The Hero World Challenge returns to Albany Golf Course for the ninth time. Designed by Ernie Els, Albany offers an exposed, links-style layout with over 50 bunkers and a design reminiscent of Scotland’s classics, even drawing comparisons to St. Andrews. Unique to this par-72 track are its five par 5s and five par 3s, which shift the focus from driving to approach play and short game.
Past champions like Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler, and Henrik Stenson have excelled here, showcasing the success of diverse playing styles. Links experience is key, as evidenced by two-time winner Viktor Hovland and 2023 runner-up Sepp Straka, both strong performers on exposed courses.
Wind is a consistent factor at Albany, adding complexity to its smaller greens and emphasizing precision iron play. With limited recent competition and no shotlink data, focusing on players with strong strokes gained in windy conditions or links success is crucial.
An intriguing trend? Each of the last six winners has a T-7 or better finish at the Open Championship, with comparables like St. Andrews and Carnoustie offering clues for this week’s contenders. Players with links expertise and adaptability are well-suited to thrive in these unique conditions.
2024 Hero World Challenge Field: Golf DFS
Tournament host Tiger Woods will not compete as he continues recovering from back surgery in September.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the field, returning for the first time since the Presidents Cup. Scheffler’s remarkable 2024 includes seven wins, an Olympic gold medal, and 16 top-10s in 19 starts. The defending Hero World Challenge champion is chasing a third consecutive PGA TOUR Player of the Year Award, a feat last achieved by Woods (2005-07).
Last year’s runner-up Sepp Straka is back after a strong 2024 featuring four top-10 finishes, while Justin Thomas, fresh off fatherhood, tees it up for the first time since finishing T2 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.
Rookie sensation Nick Dunlap, with two wins this season, makes his Hero debut alongside seven others, including Robert MacIntyre and Sahith Theegala. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, and Sungjae Im are also in the stacked field.
Cameron Young returns after a stellar season with six top-10s, joining nine of the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Notable absences aside, the Hero World Challenge promises a competitive close to 2024 with seasoned veterans and emerging stars chasing glory at Albany Golf Course.
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PGA Best Bets & Predictions: Hero World Challenge 2024 (9-20 Overall, -4.35 Units)
- Robert MacIntyre: Top 5 (+280)
- Nick Dunlap: Top 10 (+130)
GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK (REGARDLESS OF PRICE)
JUSTIN THOMAS ($9,600)
He arrives at Albany fresh off a T2 finish at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and a strong history in this event, with four consecutive top-5 finishes, including a solo third last year. While 2024 was considered a down year, he remained elite in ball striking, ranking 5th in SG: Tee-to-Green. With ample time to refine his putting on bermudagrass greens, Thomas looks primed to kick off a bounce-back 2025 season with another high finish this week.
WYNDHAM CLARK ($8,000)
He had a tough debut at the Hero World Challenge last year, finishing 19th and 22 shots behind Scottie Scheffler. However, his consistency in 2024 has been impressive, earning him the No. 6 spot in the world. In his last seven events leading up to the TOUR Championship, Clark posted four top-10 finishes and two more top-15s. While last year’s performance wasn’t ideal, his strong form makes him a contender this time around.
SUNGJAE IM ($7,800)
Sungjae Im returns to Albany after a T8 finish in his 2022 debut, improving each round. He’s been in excellent form over the past seven months, tallying 12 top-15 finishes worldwide. Im closed 2024 strong with a T13 at the Shriners and a T7 at the Tour Championship. Following a standout performance at the Presidents Cup, he looks poised to contend this week and carry momentum into an impactful start to 2025.
ROBERT MACINTYRE ($7,100)
He wraps up an incredible year as he makes his Albany debut. The Scot has been in excellent form, finishing top-25 in all five DP World Tour events he’s played since the TOUR Championship, including two top-10s. With his driving power and sharp putting, MacIntyre has steadily improved on approach in 2024, delivering consistent performances. Closing the DP season 5-for-5, he’s poised to carry that momentum into another strong showing this week.
NICK DUNLAP ($6,400)
Nick Dunlap has had a transformative year, going from an amateur winner to a professional with two victories under his belt. He opened the FedExCup Playoffs with a T5 finish and added three more top-15s along the way. Excelling on par-5s (T3 in par-5 scoring average), Dunlap’s game aligns perfectly with Albany’s layout, which features five par-5s. Having gained strokes on approach in seven of his last nine starts, he’s set up for another impressive performance.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | G |
|---|---|
| High |  Scottie Scheffler  $12,300 |
| Justin Thomas $10,800 | |
| Medium | Sam Burns $10,200 |
| Sungjae Im $9,900 | |
| Wyndham Clark $9,300 | |
| Sahith Theegala $9,100 | |
| Low | Robert Macintyre $8,800 |
| Keegan Bradley $8,400 | |
| Nick Dunlap $8,200 |
Player News
Justin Thomas arrived at the Travelers Championship amidst a bit of a slump but left with 25 birdies to manage a T9 finish, his first top 10 since March.
Thomas is known for his stellar rate of big finishes over the course of his career but that changed recently with six straight finishes landing outside of the top 10. A cold putter has been the culprit for much of the downturn but he managed to fight through the flat-stick woes this week. Thomas lost 1.9 strokes putting at TPC River Highlands but ranked 3rd in strokes gained tee-to-green. It was a promising result to rebuild some confidence but he still has some work to do in the putting department. Despite the nice finish this week, Thomas is just 66th in the FedExCup race.
Brian Harman tossed together a 6-under 64 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, posting a piece of second place on the final leaderboard (-20).
Harman entered the week with just one top 25 in his last 14 stroke-play events. It's been a slump for the straight shooter but TPC River Highlands was the perfect cure. The Georgia Bulldog gained 4.4 strokes on approach, 3.5 strokes around-the-green, and 4.9 strokes putting. All three ranked 13th or better for the week. This was far from his first taste of success at the course, going in the books as his sixth career top 10 at TPC River Highlands.
Chez Reavie started the day just one shot off the pace but stumbled with a 1-over 71 to drop back to a share of fourth place on the final leaderboard.
Reavie and overnight leader Keegan Bradley were in a tier of their own to begin the day. Reavie dropped a rung with seven pars and two bogeys before the turn. His driver remained steady (12-of-14 fairways) but lost strokes in each of the other three categories of strokes gained today. It was a day to forget but a week to remember for Reavie who still managed a T4 finish, vaulting him from 114th to 95th in the FedExCup race.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler steadied a 5-under 65 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, ending the week on 19-under 261, good for a slice of fourth place.
The Texan piled up 21 birdies and a pair of eagles this week at TPC River Highlands. He ended the week ranked second in strokes gained tee-to-green (+11.08). He's now gained at least 10.6 strokes in that department in six straight events. Scheffler carded three sub-66 rounds this week but a two-birdie 70 on Friday is what held him back from truly contending. The World No. 1 now has six straight top-5 finishes and you have to go back to October to find the last time he finished worse than 12th. It's safe to say he's been the most consistent golfer on the planet over the last nine months.
Rory McIlroy raced out of the gate on Sunday at the Travelers Championship before slowing his pace to record a 6-under 64, ending his week in a share of seventh place (18-under 262).
McIlroy circled birdies on five of the first seven holes today. He couldn't maintain that pace but still bettered the field average by more than three shots today. McIlroy tossed together four sub-69 rounds this week at TPC River Highlands but didn't even sniff contention over the weekend. "I don't particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had." The Northern Irishman now has five straight top-10 finishes and has his game trending back toward the winner's circle just in time for the season's final major and the FedExCup Playoffs.
Patrick Cantlay gave the leader a small scare down the stretch was swallowed two late bogeys to finish on 19-under this week at the Travelers Championship, four shots off the winning tally of Keegan Bradley.
Cantlay was slow out of the gate with eight pars and a birdie before the turn. He applied some pressure with four birdies on the next six holes, all while Keegan Bradley was starting to leak with three straight bogeys. That shrunk the lead to just three shots be Cantlay stumbled home with two bogeys and a par. "I thought I struck the ball very solid all day. Played smart. Not the finish I wanted obviously, but my game is in a good spot and a lot of big tournaments left this summer." The UCLA alum carded four sub-69 rounds this week and led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. Cantlay now has six straight top 15s at TPC River Highlands. He collected two victories last season but still searching for his first win of the 2022-23 campaign.