2022 Hero World Challenge Expert Picks & Odds: Bet Jordan Spieth and Shane Lowry Down the Board in a Short Field

This is it. The final tournament of the year, and it's a fun way to end things with many of the top players in the world set to tee it up this week in the Bahamas at the 2022 Hero World Challenge.

Unfortunately, the big attraction of the week and host, Tiger Woods, was forced to withdraw due to a foot injury. He is still hoping to tee it up with his son, Charlie, next week at the PNC, but he won't be able to go on his own this week.

Still, this field is headlined by many of the top names in the world, including a streaking Jon Rahm and five others from the current top 10 of the OWGR. Viktor Hovland isn't one of those at this stage, but he is the defending champion of this event and is playing some strong golf again this fall.

As I look at the odds board in this field, I simply want to take some of the value near the bottom. We have a field of only 20, which has Rahm's number up top really short and pushes some talented players into the +2000s on the odds board this week.

That will be where I will target my picks as we look to close out the year with a win.

Best Bets

Sam Burns +2000 (BetMGM)

This was an easy one for me as Sam Burns was posted at +2000 on BetMGM and a bit shorter everywhere else. Burns finished third in this event last year and is growing into one of the top players on TOUR.

He has closed out four wins in his young career, including three over the past season. I have no doubt in his ability to close if he puts his name near the top again this week, and at these odds in a short field, he presents the best value on the board in my view.

Jordan Spieth +2200 (BetMGM)

Jordan Spieth was once a target at this event every year as he continually posted top finishes. Last year he finished dead last and had a weird moment in his final round in which he and playing partner Henrik Stenson played from the wrong tee box. This memory, combined with his lack of overall consistency has him further down the odds board, but it won't deter me from taking a shot.

Spieth showed what he still has in his bag when he dominated his way through the Presidents Cup, and while that performance hasn't turned into much else from a results perspective this fall, it just shows what he can still do on the course. I don't mind that volatility at what is essentially long-shot odds in a field of just 20 players this week.

Shane Lowry +2500 (Ceasars)

We are getting a nice discount here at Caesars on the 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year, mostly due to the fact that this is Shane Lowry's first appearance at the Hero World Challenge. I am happy to bite at these odds as he is someone whom we know can handle any difficult conditions that may come along on this coastal course. He is well suited for this type of track.

Lowry is also one of the international players who played some real competitive golf here recently on the DP World Tour in their finale a couple of weeks ago. He'll have less competitive rust to shake off this week than many others, and he really showed some good form over his final three rounds of that event.