[Photo: Kevin C Cox]
Scottie Scheffler will attempt to three-peat in the Bahamas.
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The four-time major champ headlines the Hero World Challenge, which released its initial field on this week. The 20-player exhibition, hosted by Tiger Woods, features six players in the top 10: Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, J.J. Spaun, Robert MacIntyre and Harris English. Cam Young, Justin Rose and Patrick Cantlay are also among the names publicised.
Scheffler has won the past two iterations of the tournament, winning last year’s event by six shots.
Not in the field is Woods.
The 49-year-old has not played competitively since the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024. Two months later, Woods announced that he had microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement.
He missed last year’s Hero World Challenge but did play at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie and for his Jupiter Links team in several TGL matches.
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Conversely, Woods missed the 2025 season after he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left leg while training in March.
However, there are three sponsor exemptions available, leaving the door open for a potential Woods return.
Though the Hero does not offer FedEx Cup points or official money it does award world ranking points. The event traces its roots back to 2000. The tournament begins on December 4 (which will be against the second round of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne).
