Albany is coming back from the competition taking the highest 36-hole lead in tournament history at half-way through the 2022 Hero World Challenge. While the previous seven editions of this tournament held in the Bahamas featured group birdies and a half-way lead by two numbers below par, this year has been a stark contrast. However, despite the change in the scoring environment, Viktor Hovland, who topped the leaderboard a year ago, is at his old spot after 36 holes.
Signing at 2 under 70 on Friday, the Norwegian sits at under 5 as he can separate himself from the stacked leaderboard a bit. With Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young trailing Hovland with just one stroke, the 25-year-old admits he expected better scores despite the conditions.
“It was difficult,” Hovland said. “We’re mulling over every 3 or 4-4 footer out there, and they certainly don’t sound like gimmicks. This wind just makes things a little harder, even the chip shots. basically, they’re not that basic anymore. I still expect the score to be a bit lower.”
With the wind expected to continue to linger, world-class ball strikers should only continue to aim for the top of the rankings. PGA Championship winners Justin Thomas, former world No. 1 Jon Rahm and hot Tony Finau stand right behind the original chase in what is set to be the memorable Hero World Challenge that will come to an end in 2022.
Leader
1. Viktor Hovland (-5)
Only three eagles made it through the first two laps and two of them belonged to Hovland. Almost overtaking par-4 on Thursday, Hovland overcame par-5 Friday on Friday for the second time of the week. With a clear level of comfort in the wind and on coastal golf courses, it’s no surprise that his name takes the top spot on the charts, even if he’s his biggest critic. after the second round.
“I put myself in the fairway a lot, but it was weird, like I knew it was windy and I felt like I missed a lot of putts. And I still don’t feel like I hit it very well. , like I’m ‘I’m not comfortable with the ball, but the ball is going straight and I’m looking,'” Hovland said. “It’s just not that great feeling, and I missed a lot of shots, and somehow we ended up under 2 today, so yeah, happy with that. that.”
other candidates
T3. Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa (-4)
6. Tom Kim (-3)
7. Justin Thomas (-2)
T8. Billy Horschel, Sepp Straka (-1)
T10. Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau (E)
Not all motivations are the same this week as some spend quality time with their families while others take it seriously. Put the world No. 2 Scheffler in the second category as the Texans keep an eye on the prize in their second appearance in the Hero World Challenge. Just one stroke back, a win would send Scheffler back to the top of the golf world — albeit temporarily as Rory McIlroy will end 2022 as world No 1 no matter what.
“I’m definitely not going to show up to finish 20th or anything. I’m practicing. I like to practice,” said Scheffler. “I had a nice break before we got to South Carolina. I was pretty tired after the FedExCup, and then the Presidents Cup, so there was a five or six week period there where I didn’t train. too much. I still go out for fun and other things, but I don’t practice too much. Maybe a month or two ago, I trained pretty well.”
A Tale of Two Nines for Tony Finau
At first glance, it was an even-par 72 ho-hum round for Finau. However, upon closer inspection, the contrast between his front nine and rear nine couldn’t be more different. Hit 5 bogeys in the outer round, the 4-time PGA Tour champion won 4 out of 40.
Drifting outside the top 15 of this 20-man field, Finau has strutted home. With four birdies versus shots that didn’t drop in his last nine holes, Finau found his way back to par for the tournament and entered with a small chance at the weekend.
2022 Hero World Challenge updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Viktor Hovland: 4-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 4-1
- Xander Schauffele: 4-1
- Collin Morikawa: 7-1
- Cameron Young: 7-1
- Tom Kim: 11-1
- Justin Thomas: 14-1
- Jon Rahm: 18-1
- Tony Finau: 28-1
It’s not often that the top three favorites enter the weekend of a golf tournament. While Hovland holds a slight edge, he is confronted by Scheffler and Schauffele on the odds table. There is still a lot of golf to play and conditions are expected to continue, I don’t mind hitting a few players in the chase group. Justin Thomas with 14-1 is interesting thanks to his ability to play with the wind, and the same logic goes for Tony Finau with a score of 28-1.
