After Tiger Woods was confirmed to play in the Hero World Challenge, the buzz has increased for the tournament. The news has created a lot of attention among the media and fans. They will be eager to see how the legend will perform on his comeback after injuries. 

Despite being popular and one of the biggest events, the tournament has been marred by several controversies and withdrawals that overshadowed the competition in the past.  

Five major controversies surrounding the Hero World Challenge

In 2019, one of the shocking incidents happened when Patrick Reed, got involved in a rules controversy during the third round of the tournament. Reed was twice caught on camera moving sand behind his ball in a waste area on the 11th hole. However, he was penalized for two strokes by the rules officials after reviewing the footage. But he claimed that he didn’t do it intentionally. Furthermore, he claimed that he didn’t feel or see the sand moving. He instead said he was following his usual practice of testing the surface before marking his shot. 

In 2018, Tiger Woods, the host and the most decorated player of the tournament, also faced a controversy during the second round of the tournament. The 47-year-old was caught on camera double-hitting his chip shot in the tournament. This could have resulted in a one-stroke penalty. However, surprisingly, Woods was not penalized by the rules officials. They said that they could not determine with certainty that he had made contact with the ball twice. They also said that they relied on the naked eye and the available video evidence, which were not enough to impose a penalty. 

Last year, the third round of the HWC was affected by the wet and muddy conditions of the course. The rain that fell overnight and during the morning made the fairways and greens soggy and soft. This caused the balls to pick up mud and lose distance and accuracy. This left many of the players frustrated. Some of the players, including Scottie Scheffler, complained that the organizers didn’t implement the lift, clean, and place rule.

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Another withdrawal that made headlines last year was that of Tiger Woods. The 15-timе major champion announced it just days before the event due to a foot injury that he got during a practice session. The announcement was a blow to the tournament, as he was one the center of the attraction and the favorite to win. Additionally, his exit also raised concerns about his health and his future in golf.

Unfortunately, this season is also not untouched by controversies. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, two of thе US Ryder Cup stars, have withdrawn from the tournament. Both of them cited personal reasons for their withdrawals, which affected the leaderboard and the pairings of the final round. 

Despite all the controversy, the tournament has been a source of excitement. We hope that this season will leave aside negative talking points and be a huge hit. What do you think about the controversies? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

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