Hero World Challenge announces exclusive 20 man field ft. Scottie Scheffler
The Hero World Challenge will return in December. It is technically part of the PGA Tour schedule but it doesn't give FedEx Cup points or prize money since it is an unofficial tournament. That doesn't stop the Tour's best golfers from returning from their fall break to play in it, though. It is designed to have a small group of the world's best players compete in aid of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Tiger Woods is the event organizer but he's not going to be in the field this time. Last year, he returned from a roughly eight-month rehab from ankle surgery to make his first reappearance in this tournament. This time, he's not in the field, but 20 good golfers are.
Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, is in the field. He's the headliner, but he's hardly the only notable player to watch when the tournament tees off. He will be joined by several others including Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, and others.
Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala, Billy Horschel, Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Robert MacIntyre, Russell Henley, and Sam Burns make up 13 of the remaining spots.
There are three open places in the field for exemptions. Those will be revealed at a later date. The tournament will be held from December 5-8 at Albany. The event is back in The Bahamas for the ninth time.
Scottie Scheffler will defend 2023 title at Hero World Challenge
Scottie Scheffler's appearance in the 2023 Hero World Challenge should have foretold the historic season he was about to embark on. He won only twice in 2023 despite putting up good numbers. His win at the Hero World Challenge didn't count, but it spurred him onto a calendar year unlike any other.
One year later, Scheffler is ranked number one in the world and he's set to defend his title in Albany. Between then and now, Scheffler won eight times, including the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He won six Signature Events and a Major championship at the Masters Tournament.
The golfer put all his previous putting struggles aside to dominate last December at the Hero World Challenge. While it was not a surprise that Scheffler won, his -20 scoreline was largely due to a new putter and putting coach.
He earned the win over Sepp Straka and shortly after started the 2024 PGA Tour season. While it took him a few tournaments to earn his first win, the momentum started and was hardly stopped all year - even after an arrest at the 2024 PGA Championship.
With a year of incredible performances under his belt that arguably started at this very tournament, Scheffler will be the favorite to win the Hero World Challenge again in 2024.