Are LIV Golfers participating in the 2023 Hero World Challenge? All you need to know
Hero World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods, is back with another edition, which features a stellar field. However, no LIV golfer will compete at the tournament in 2023.
Hero World Challenge is an unofficial PGA Tour event. Thus, LIV players are banned from competing in the Tour events and are excluded from the astonishing field of the 2023 Hero World Challenge.
The tournament is hosted by Tiger Woods who has been against the Saudi-backed series since its inception. He even turned down nearly a billion-dollar contract to stay loyal to the PGA Tour. The legendary golfer also started a virtual golf series named TGL, as a threat to LIV Golf.
The Hero World Challenge 2023 is scheduled to begin next week on November 30 and conclude on December 3. The tournament features defending champion, Viktor Hovland, current world No.1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark, 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman, and former PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa.
Will Zalatoris, who hasn't played much in 2023 due to an injury, will return for the competition. Keegan Bradley and Max Homa will compete in the competition as well.
Not to be overlooked, the tournament will feature Tiger Woods, the 15-time major champion. He has been out of action since April due to an ankle injury. But at last, Woods is returning to compete in professional tournaments.
Here is the field of the 2023 Hero World Challenge:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Viktor Hovland
- Max Homa
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Brian Harman
- Wyndham Clark
- Jordan Spieth
- Cameron Young
- Keegan Bradley
- Collin Morikawa
- Tony Finau
- Sam Burns
- Jason Day
- Sepp Straka
- Will Zalatoris
- Rickie Fowler
- Justin Thomas
- Justin Rose
- Lucas Glover
- Tiger Woods
Have LIV golfers ever won the Hero World Challenge?
With the launch of its first edition in 2022, LIV attracted a large number of players from the PGA and European tours. Despite the fact that no LIV golfer participated in the most recent edition of the Hero World Challenge, they previously won the tournament when LIV was not formed.
Graeme McDowell, an Irish golfer, has won the Hero World Challenge twice and is presently a member of the LIV Golf series. He took home the trophy twice, in 2010 and 2012.
Bubba Watson, another LIV golfer, won the tournament in 2015. Henrik Stenson won it in 2019.
Interestingly, Jon Rahm, who has already won the Hero World Challenge, is rumored to be joining the Saudi circuit for its third edition in 2024.
Here is a list of all the past winners of the Hero World Challenge:
- 2022-2023: Viktor Hovland
- 2021-2022: Viktor Hovland
- 2019-2020: Henrik Stenson
- 2018-2019: Jon Rahm
- 2017-2018: Rickie Fowler
- 2016-2017: Hideki Matsuyama
- 2015-2016: Bubba Watson
- 2014-2015: Jordan Spieth
- 2013-2014: Zach Johnson
- 2012: Graeme McDowell
- 2011: Tiger Woods
- 2010: Graeme McDowell
- 2009: Jim Furyk
- 2008: Vijay Singh
- 2007: Tiger Woods
- 2006: Tiger Woods
- 2005: Luke Donald
- 2004: Tiger Woods
- 2003: Davis Love III
- 2002: Padraig Harrington
- 2001: Tiger Woods
- 2000: Davis Love III
- 2000: Tom Lehman
After winning the competition the previous two years, Viktor Hovland is eager to defend his crown in 2023. He has been in incredible form and won two FedEx Cup playoff events earlier this year.