2023 Hero World Challenge picks, odds, best bets, predictions: Proven golf expert is fading Jordan Spieth

The 2023 Hero World Challenge tees off Thursday in the Bahamas, and Tiger Woods and Viktor Hovland will be stars among the stars at Albany Golf Course. The Hero World Challenge 2023 field features 20 of the best golfers in the world, and tournament host Woods is making his first competitive appearance since April's Masters Tournament. Hovland won the PGA Tour FedEx Cup championship at East Lake his last time out and has won the Hero World Challenge the past two years. Scottie Scheffler, who remains the world's No. 1 golfer and was runner-up to Hovland both years, also is part of the loaded 2023 Hero World Challenge field.        

Hovland is the +400 favorite in the latest Hero World Challenge odds, with Scheffler (+450) right behind. Collin Morikawa (+800) and Max Homa (+800) are the only other golfers shorter than 10-1. Woods faces the longest odds in the 20-player Hero World Challenge 2023 field at 80-1. Before you lock in your 2023 Hero World Challenge picks and bets, be sure to see the best bets and predictions from SportsLine's Patrick McDonald. 

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. Since July, McDonald has gone 11-6-1 with his head-to-head picks, including an 8-1 record over the final three weeks of last season. He also nailed Russell Henley to be the first-round leader in the Wyndham Championship, at 40-1 odds. McDonald finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on outright plays, with Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express and Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational among his big scores.   

Top 2023 Hero World Challenge best bets

Shockingly, McDonald is fading Spieth, who had seven top-10 finishes last season but only one in his final six outings. Then he was unimpressive in the Ryder Cup as the Europeans cruised to victory in Rome. "The entirety of his game appears to have abandoned him," McDonald says of Spieth, and he "may be in for a long week." The three-time major championship winner's best finish over the past three years in the Bahamas is 15th, and McDonald expects him to be rusty.     

On the other hand, the expert knows elite ball-strikers like Hovland and Scheffler have been dominant in this event. Hovland finished the 2022-23 PGA Tour season with consecutive victories to seize the FedEx Cup title. The Norwegian followed that by going 3-1-1 in Europe's Ryder Cup victory and has consecutive top-five finishes on the DP World Tour. The 26-year-old was fifth in total driving last season, so he'll have an advantage on the lengthy Albany layout. See the rest of McDonald's best bets right here.

How to make 2023 Hero World Challenge picks

McDonald has analyzed the 2023 Hero World Challenge field and the Albany Golf Course from every possible angle. His best bets for the 2023 Hero World Challenge include a longshot to win who could break through in this small field at a solid price well over 20-1. You can only see it here. 

2023 Hero World Challenge odds

Odds to win:

Viktor Hovland +400
Scottie Scheffler +450
Collin Morikawa +800
Max Homa +800
Matt Fitzpatrick +1600
Justin Thomas +1600
Cameron Young +1600
Sam Burns +2000
Jordan Spieth +2000
Rickie Fowler +2200
Tony Finau +2200
Wyndham Clark +2200
Brian Harman +3000
Will Zalatoris +3300
Keegan Bradley +3500
Jason Day +3500
Sepp Straka +3500
Justin Rose +3500
Lucas Glover +5500
Tiger Woods +8000