Golf betting tips: Who stands out at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the Hero World Challenge?

The new ‘opening swing’ on the DP World Tour means we see action all year round and we alternate between Australia and Africa in December, while the Hero World Challenge takes place over on the PGA Tour.

Aggressive Spanish talent David Puig captured the Australian PGA Championship on the DP World Tour last week for his third professional win. Puig took it down with a two stroke victory over Wenyi Ding of China.

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Nedbank Golf Challenge: Potgieter and Lamprecht to power their way to victory at Sun City?

This week the DP World Tour sees both the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player and the Crown Australian Open take centre stage on the DP World Tour. The Nedbank Challenge comes from the famous Sun City Resort and Gary Player Country Club golf course in South Africa. 

The Nedbank Golf Challenge boasts a prize pool of $6m (£4.5m) with 4,000 Race to Dubai points on offer and players are looking to get off to a fast start in search of the 2026 Harry Vardon trophy or a PGA Tour Card.

The Nedbank Challenge has been growing as a tournament in recent seasons and the field size has now increased to 66. It’s a non-cut event so well worth a trip for the star names looking to keep their game sharp for next year.

READ: First round leader betting - Four key factors for fast starters 

This means the Nedbank Golf Challenge field boasts some star power, most notably Victor Hovland who leads the market at 13/2 with Spreadex, while Will Zalatoris (28/1 Betfred) travels over from the PGA Tour. Hovland will join good friend Kristoffer Reitan (25/1 Coral) in the field. Reitan finished the 2025 Race to Dubai in eighth spot, earning his PGA Tour card.

Marco Penge, runner up to Rory McIlroy in this year’s Race to Dubai is second in the Nedbank Challenge market at 12/1 with Betfred. Of the South Africans, Christian Bezuidenhout also returns home. Bezuidenhout mastered the short game to win the South African Open which was held at Sun City in 2020.

I’m intrigued to see how Christo Lamprecht, who will be playing on the PGA Tour in 2026 via promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour, gets on at a track which severely punishes errant driving. Bomber Lamprecht was eighth in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and will join the PGA Tour’s longest hitter Aldrich Potgieter in the field.

Course fit and strategy

The typical concoction for success at the Gary Player Country Club is keeping it tight off the tee and precision with the irons. It’s a par 72 playing in excess of 7,800 yards so you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s right up Potgieter’s or Lamprecht’s street but with altitude the course actually plays closer to 7,000 yards. 

That said these guys could potentially overpower it in a way we haven’t seen too much before. Potgieter showed the way, finishing runner up to Hugues Joannes (66/1 Spreadex) at the Nedbank last season, with the latter excelling from tee to green.

Haotong Li also stands out amongst my shortlist of players. The Chinese star has recorded a couple of top five finishes at the Nedbank Golf Challenge from a handful of appearances. 

Li finished the 2025 DP World Tour season ranking a notable fourth in ‘strokes gained approach’. He finished the 2025 season with a top 10 at the DP World Tour Championship, bouncing back strongly after a poor opening round.

FIRST.com’s top tips - Nedbank Golf Challenge

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is a winner at Sun City and knows the track more than most. Back him to win the tournament at 16/1 (five places) each way with Betway.

Haotong Li has some good course and current form heading into the Nedback. Back him at 30/1 (five places) each way with Betfred.

I’m going to take a chance on the power of the two South African youngsters Aldrich Potgieter and Christo Lamprecht. Back them respectively at 22/1 (seven places) each way with Coral, and 45/1 (five places) each way with Spreadex.

Hero World Challenge: Scottie Scheffler looking for the hattrick in the Bahamas

The Tiger Woods hosted Hero World Challenge is an invitational, and it’s attracting some of the top talent in the golfing world to Albany in the Bahamas. It’s a 20-man field playing for $5m (£3.8m) and world ranking points. 

The winner’s cheque is a cool $1m (£750,000). Unfortunately Woods himself is still not fit enough to take part.

Albany GC is a gettable par 72 golf course playing 7,449 yards in length and designed by the master “Big Easy” Ernie Els. 

The last four years have seen two back-to-back winners - first Victor Hovland, then world number one Scottie Sheffler. The average winning score over the last ten years has been around 20-under par in what is also a no-cut event.

READ: Course fit layout and five pillars to successful golf betting 

Keegan Bradley comes to Albany with a smile on his face after winning a lucrative skins game in Palm Beach Gardens last week. He’ll be in a more buoyant mood than the one he was in after the Ryder Cup and maybe he’ll be a man on a mission in the Bahamas this week.

By rights, Bradley could have been a player in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage after an excellent season which saw him win the Travelers Championship. 

Bradley also won the BMW Championship at the back end of 2024 and currently resides at the no.14 spot in the world rankings. Only eight Americans finished ahead of Bradley in the 2025 season money list.

Towards the top end of the market two Brits are standing out to me in their bid to prevent short-priced market leader Scheffler (13/8 Betway) winning three-in-a-row.

The British contenders

Firstly Robert MacIntyre has moved into the top 10 of the world rankings and he’s very much in form. Second only to JJ Spaun in the US Open, “Bob” also finished runner-up at the BMW Championship before travelling back home to Scotland and winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the home of golf, St. Andrews. 

MacIntyre closed out the DP World Tour season with two top 10 finishes in the UAE and he is sharper than most of the field. Another advantage the Scot has is his ability in the wind should it blow in the Bahamas.

Justin Rose showed he’s not done yet as the veteran lost out in a playoff to McIlroy at the Masters and won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a big 2025. 

A t14 at the DP World Tour Championship shows his game is in good shape and he has a standout record here in Albany where he averages sixth place in his last five appearances with the best of those being a third place.

FIRST.com’s top tips - Hero World Challenge

Robert MacIntyre looks the most likely challenger to Sheffler’s throne in the Bahamas. Back him on the nose at 10/1 to win with Betfred.

Justin Rose has some of the best course form in the field and finished the 2025 season strongly. Back the Englishman at 22/1 each way (four places) with Spreadex.

Keegan Bradley has been practising while some of the others have been on holiday and this could give him a small edge. Back Bradley at 16/1 (four places) with Spreadex.

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Odds correct at the time of writing.