When Tiger Woods limped out of The Masters during the third round at Augusta National, it seemed inevitable he would face a spell on the sidelines, and that was confirmed days later when it was revealed he had undergone ankle surgery.
At that point, we could only speculate as to when he would return, but we now know the answer. After stepping up his preparations in recent weeks, he will take his place in the field of 20 for the Hero World Challenge, which is hosted by the 15-time Major winner and is a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
The tournament is an unofficial PGA Tour event, and while it counts towards world ranking points, it doesn’t offer FedEx Cup points. Meanwhile, even though there is still prize money available, it is not included on the money list.
The purse is considerably smaller than most PGA Tour events, at $4.5m, but that still dwarfs the money on offer at two of the world’s most revered national opens taking place on the DP World Tour at the same time - AUD$1.7m at the ISPS Handa Australian Open and $1.5m at the Investec South African Open Championship.
The winner of the event at Albany in the Bahamas will earn $1m, while the runner-up will claim $350,000. There is no cut at the tournament, meaning there will even be prize money of $100,000 for the player finishing last.
Below is the prize money payout for the Hero World Challenge.
Hero World Challenge Prize Money Payout
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,000,000 |
| 2nd | $450,000 |
| 3rd | $300,000 |
| 4th | $225,000 |
| 5th | $200,000 |
| 6th | $190,000 |
| 7th | $185,000 |
| 8th | $180,000 |
| 9th | $175,000 |
| 10th | $170,000 |
| 11th | $165,000 |
| 12th | $160,000 |
| 13th | $155,000 |
| 14th | $150,000 |
| 15th | $145,000 |
| 16th | $140,000 |
| 17th | $135,000 |
| 18th | $130,000 |
| 19th | $125,000 |
| 20th | $120,000 |
Who Are The Star Names In The Hero World Challenge?
The field may be small, but it’s packed with quality. As well as Woods are six of the world’s top 10 – 2022 champion Viktor Hovland, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Open champion Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark, who won this year’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Viktor Hovland defends his title
That number would have been eight were it not for the withdrawals of US Ryder Cup dup Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. However, the two drafted in to replace them are hardly unknowns. Former US Open champion Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, who claimed victory at both the Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, play instead.
Other big names include two-time Major winners Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, who has three Major wins, six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler and Will Zalatoris, who returns to action at this week's event after seven months out.
How Many Golfers Are In The Hero World Challenge?
The Hero World Challenge features 20 of the world's best players. That's an increase of four from the 16 who took part between its inception in 2000 and 2008, before the size of the field increased to 18. Some of the world's biggest names are taking part, including Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth.
What Is The Hero World Challenge?
The Hero World Challenge is an unofficial PGA Tour event hosted by Tiger Woods, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation and raises funds to support young people globally. The tournament features a field of 20 who compete over four days of stroke play. There is no cut at the tournament.
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