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DraftKings preview: Hero World Challenge
3 Min Read

Swing Theory | Akshay Bhatia
Written by Landon Silinsky
After the conclusion of the FedExCup Fall, the PGA TOUR heads to Nassau, Bahamas, for the Hero World Challenge. Albany Golf Course will be the host, and measures as a 7,449-yard par 72 with Bermudagrass greens.
There are only 20 golfers in the field this week, but it's a star-studded one. Defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will headline, along with Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Åberg and Justin Thomas.
Below, I have outlined two of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $200K Sand Trap [$50K to first]
Scottie Scheffler ($11,900)
Scheffler checks in at just under $12,000 this week, which is $1,700 more than any other golfer in the field, and still not close to being enough of a gap.
Scheffler will stand out in any field, but the numbers are truly jarring to look at compared to the other 19 golfers in attendance this week. Over his last 50 rounds, the two-time Masters champion has gained a total of 128.8 strokes from tee-to-green, which obviously leads the field.
Aaron Rai, who ranks second in that time frame, has gained a total of 61.4 strokes from tee-to-green in that stretch. That's a difference of 67.4 strokes, or six more than anyone in this field has gained total in that time frame. It's literally unfathomable.
Oh by the way, Scheffler won this event last year and finished runner-up to Viktor Hovland both in 2022 and 2021. If you are playing DFS this week and not rostering Scheffler, you're immediately behind the eight-ball.
Akshay Bhatia ($6,700)
Scheffler is going to be plenty popular this week, so the way you need to differentiate is going to be with punt plays. Bhatia is my favorite of the bunch at just $6,700. The 22-year-old had a career year in 2024, posting three top-10 finishes, including his win at the Valero Texas Open.
Bhatia has never played the Hero World Challenge before, but has always done his best work in tropical locations. He boasts top-10 finishes at the World Wide Technology Championship, Puerto Rico Open and Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, and then went T13, T14 at both Hawaii events in 2024.
After making the TOUR Championship, Bhatia took the entire fall swing off, so he should be well-rested and ready to go this week in Nassau. At this bargain-bin price tag, I love pairing the young lefty in Scheffler lineups.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.