THE PGA Tour’s 2022/23 season is officially on a break until January but, between now and Christmas, it does enjoy a silly season that starts on a high before descending swiftly into nonsense. First up is this week’s Hero World Challenge which pits 20 elite golfers against each other amid luxury and high jinks in the Bahamas, it is followed by the QBE Shootout (a pairs event) and the PNC Championship (a family pairs event).

The first and last of those events are linked because Tiger Woods hosts this week and he will return in a fortnight alongside his son Charlie in a saccharin-soaked few days that verges on the inappropriate. In fairness, Woods Jr. seems to be remarkably capable of dealing with the hoopla that surrounds his every golfing move but that doesn’t really excuse the shot-by-shot voyeurism that many indulge in.

It’s been a rum year for his dad, of course, with his footsteps just as closely monitored, if for a different reason after his car crash in 2021. He opened the year with a 71 to sit inside the top 10 at the Masters, an astounding effort, and made all the more incredible by the difficulties he had overcoming the pain and discomfort thereafter. It would be a considerable fillip for the game at the end of a toxic year if he ended it with a smile on his face and a sub-70 score on his card.

Woods is among the investors at the host resort, The Albany, as is Ernie Els who designed the course. It’s one that demands the players go low. Of the winners here, Bubba Watson thrashed a 63, his successor Hideki Matsuyama signed for two 65s, Rickie Fowler carded a Sunday 61, Jon Rahm was another to shoot 63, while the last two winners (Henrik Stenson and Viktor Hovland) went sub-70 in all rounds. The main defence of the layout is the wind off the Atlantic but, like a links course, it’s wide open to attack when conditions are flat.

Big hitters also possess an advantage due to the presence of five par-5s and two short par-4s that have averaged 3.50 down the years. Given the elite nature of the field it’s more or less a given that most of them are both high quality and also able to give the ball a bash, but it does nonetheless rule out a few contenders.

Each Way – Viktor Hovland at 12/1

The tournament favourite, Jon Rahm, is to be feared. When last seen he was winning the DP World Tour Championship on a course he had previously finished first, first and fourth on. Moreover, he has a similar profile this week with first and second place the only entries in his log book. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele also have fine claims, but in recent months both have looked less sharp than earlier in the season.

Tony Finau came close to selection with three wins in his last seven starts, a victory in similar conditions to this week at the Puerto Rico Open, and plenty of length from the tee. However, defending champion Viktor Hovland gets the call because there’s enough juice in his price to back him each way.

He was superb on his debut when spending all week in the top 10 before pouncing with a final round 66. The clincher is that he loves this sort of windy, seaside test on grainy greens. Like Finau he’s a past champion at the Puerto Rico Open, he’s a two-time winner at El Camaleon in Mexico, and even his win in the Dubai Desert Classic is not a bad pointer.

Each Way – Cameron Young at 22/1

Of those 20/1 and higher the Korean high flyer Tom Kim and Cameron Young are most attractive. The former’s arrival at the top of the game has been one of the most enjoyable tales of the year. He opened the campaign by winning on the Asian Tour in Singapore and then grabbed every opportunity he was granted on the PGA Tour with both hands. He started by impressing in the majors, claimed a first win in American, thrilled the galleries with his passionate play at the Presidents Cup, and then added a second Stateside win in October. He’s the type to be inspired by the invitation to play in Tiger’s event, but Young gets the call because the test really ought to suit him.

The American is chasing a first win at the highest level but he’s notched no fewer than seven top-three finishes in a little over a year on the PGA Tour and two of those performances were truly elite level – when one shot out of the play-off in both the PGA Championship and the Open. The latter was an effort that hints at a good effort this week, coming at The Old Course which, like this week, is wide from the tee, vulnerable to low scoring, yet demands smart golf if and when the breeze gets up. Young hits a long ball, has a sharp short game, and can end a fine year on a high.