Tiger Woods has been a steady source of joy for fans for as long as they can remember, so it makes sense that he’ll be back in competition this holiday season.
The 82-time PGA TOUR winner and 15-time major champion is, of course, the most famous golfer in the Hero World Challenge. But even he will have his work cut out for him in Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas, where there is another very strong group.
Here are the slots for all 20 candidates. Scroll down to see what they have to deal with on the weird par 72 course and to learn more about the 72-hole tournament.
Power Rankings
| RANK | PLAYERS | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| 20 |  Tiger Woods  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | His first move since April 19, when he had surgery on his right ankle. Cashed twice earlier in 2023, but pulled from the Masters after making the cut. Albany’s mostly flat landscape isn’t unimportant. They also promised to play in the PNC Championship. |
| 19 |  Jason Day  AUSTRALIA | That’s right, the Aussie has gone back in time this fall. This is his first game since the Playoffs. Win (THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson) and T2 (The Open) are the only top 40s in eight months in full teams. 16th in their only trip to Albany in 2018. |
| 18 |  Will Zalatoris UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Hi there. After seven months and twenty-two days, he will be able to play in his first competition on Thursday. In this setting, you can get rid of rust, test your body, and get your feelings going again. |
| 17 |  Wyndham Clark UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | After a great season, his first game with Albany is a prize. The winner of the U.S. Open didn’t play in the FedExCup Fall, but he did play in Spain (T56) and Japan (T37), where his team lost the Ryder Cup by 1.5 points. |
| 16 |  Justin Rose  ENGLAND | The man from Albany who has lived here for a long time is the most at ease in this setting, but the Brit’s solo third in 2018 is still his best result in the tournament itself. Ready for his seventh show and looking for form. |
| 15 |  Brian Harman UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | For the first time at Albany. He made his big break at The Open in July at Royal Liverpool, but the sand and wind might be the same if he tries hard enough. No matter what, it’s a plus for a guy who always knocks on the door. |
| 14 |  Jordan Spieth UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | In his six trips to Albany, he’s placed all over the place, but his T3 in 2017 was the last big race. Most recently, he went 0-2-2 at the Ryder Cup, even though his earnings and intangibles were better than expected going into the tournament. |
| 13 |  Sam Burns UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | First race at Albany was a T3 in 2021, and the next race was a solo 12th the following year. In 2023, he was also up and down, but he was more of a top-20 machine than a rival. To give his putter a chance, he needs to hit more greens. |
| 12 |  Lucas Glover UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | It’s not his first start since 2009, but it is his first at Albany, where his skill from tee to green will be useful. After the FedExCup Playoffs, the 44-year-old cooled off. His putting wasn’t worse, but it wasn’t as good as other people’s in two shootouts. |
| 11 |  Sepp Straka  AUSTRIA | We can say for sure that the 30-year-old knows what to do. Making his second start (T10, 2022). He has won the last two seasons in a row and had strong finishes in the majors this year (T7, PGA Championship; T2, The Open). |
| 10 |  Cameron Young UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | He wants to do better after only one top-30 finish in five races in the last four months (T15, BMW Championship). He finished third in his first race at Albany last year, so people are expecting a lot from him. A force on the par-5s. |
| 9 |  Rickie Fowler UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | He hasn’t been here since a solo ninth in 2019, but he’s one of the former winners at Albany (2017), where he scored four top fives. walked off with the win with an 11-under 61 that didn’t include a par. The record is still there. |
| 8 |  Tony Finau UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | He was in the running so often in 2022 that it’s hard to believe he’ll have only two top 10s in the last 10 months by the time he hits the grass on Thursday. Fifth start in a row (2nd, T10, T7, and 7th). |
| 7 |  Keegan Bradley UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | He placed 15th in his only other appearance at Albany five years ago, but his overall game and especially his putting have gotten a lot better since then. He stayed warm with a T19 while defending his Zozo CHAMPIONSHIP title. |
| 6 |  Matt Fitzpatrick ENGLAND | Since coming in tied for ninth at the TOUR Championship, the 29-year-old has been very busy. He had a good fall and won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to cap it off. He is making his third straight start at Albany, where he is still looking for his first top 10 finish. |
| 5 |  Justin Thomas UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Aside from himself, no one else in the field has played in any of the last five events. In each of his last three, he came in fifth place. Since his summertime blues in 2023, the 30-year-old has finished 12th, fifth, and fourth in the world. |
| 4 |  Scottie Scheffler UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Just like Viktor Hovland won the last two events, Scheffler came in second both times by himself. This is his first time playing anywhere for the world’s best golfers since the Ryder Cup, so the long break is new to him. |
| 3 |  Max Homa UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | He won the Nedbank Golf Challenge by four strokes three weeks ago, showing that his game can be played anywhere. It’s his first win on the DP World Tour, and it’s also his fifth straight top 10 and eighth straight top 25 in the world. |
| 2 |  Collin Morikawa UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | One of only two people in the race (Max Homa), the winner of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP a month ago, is also on this year’s list. Morikawa’s good form carried over to Albany, where he came fifth (2021) and sixth (2022). |
| 1 |  Viktor Hovland  NORWAY | If it seems like all he does is win, that’s exactly what he’s done at Albany, where he’s trying for his third straight win. He won his first FedExCup title and then tied for second on the DP World Tour. He also went 3-1-1 in the Ryder Cup. |
American man sinks a putt that is 401.2 feet long, breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest golf putt ever.
Woods, who is also the host of the event, is one of only five players in the field who hasn’t won yet this year. Will Zalatoris, a fellow wrestler who was hurt, is also coming back to competition after spending most of the year out of the ring. Cameron Young, who has yet to win a tournament, is also part of the shady quartet, as are Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, who have won multiple majors and will always be linked.
Only Woods and Zalatoris didn’t play at Albany last year out of those five. Woods had to withdraw late because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Zalatoris is the third player to play in their first event. The other two are 2023 major champions Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open) and Brian Harman (The Open Championship).
The 11 golfers who were here last year may have had to deal with the toughest conditions since Albany became the host course in 2015. Viktor Hovland easily defended his title with a tournament-high 16-under 274. This was the seventh time the tournament had been held; the 2020 edition was cancelled because of the pandemic. It blew hard and gusty all four rounds, but the field averaged 71.063, which included favoured lies in the first two.
That scoring average was almost 1.7 strokes higher than it was the year before, when winds were tough, just like they are supposed to be this week. At no point should gusts reach 20 mph. Other than that, the weather will be typical for the time of year, with afternoon highs of about 80 degrees and a chance of rain. In each of the four rounds, the pitch will go out in pairs within 100 minutes of each other.
The person who wins will also get $1 million from a $3.5-million prize pool. There is no cut, and you can get Official World Golf Ranking points. New York will host the first playoff game in the next round.
On the Ernie Els plan, each par is 36, and there are a total of five par 3s and five par 5s. Bermudagrass greens that are mowed to about 12 feet on the Stimpmeter are only about 4,500 square feet on average, but the good landing areas and skill level of the players make up for the fact that the course can play as long as 7,449 yards.
It’s clear that Hovland has the best par-4 hole in the course. It’s the one that golfers look forward to playing the most. Out of eight tries, four of the seven eagles have been scored by the last two fields, including last year’s only eagle. He made two birdies, one par, and one mistake on the hole, giving him an average score of 2.875 which is crazy.
