The Hero World Challenge, set to take place in the Bahamas this December, announced 17 competitors in the 20-player field, with tournament host Tiger Woods not listed as a participant.
The event still has three tournament exemptions to hand out, with those competitors joining a star-studded field consisting of seven of the top 10 players in the world. Those seven include: Scottie Scheffler (ranked No. 1), Cameron Young (3), Matt Fitzpatrick (4), Russell Henley (6), Chris Gotterup (7), Sam Burns (9) and Xander Schauffele (10).
Woods, 50, has not played in a tournament since the 2024 Open Championship. His schedule has been limited following a single-car crash in February 2021 that caused multiple leg injuries, which required surgery.
Woods played five tournaments in 2024, including all four major tournaments. That year, he also played in the Genesis Invitational at Los Angeles, an event where he is also the host.
In February, Woods was still considering a tournament appearance in 2026, but it never came to pass.
“I’m trying. Put it that way,” Woods said in February before last season’s Genesis Invitational. “The disc replacement has been one thing. It’s been a challenge to — I’ve had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it’s challenging.”
He sat out most of the 2026 TGL season, before returning to compete with his team in the finals of the virtual golf league.
As recently as last week, Woods was observed hitting golf balls on the driving range at Monterey (Calif.) Peninsula Country Club.
Tied for first all-time with 82 PGA Tour victories, Woods has won 15 major championships, including The Masters Tournament five times. His most recent major tournament victory came at the 2019 Masters.
Woods also has 41 victories on the European Tour, which is third all-time.
–Field Level Media
