It was back at the turn of the century that the rising star of the PGA Tour started this tournament to help the TGR Foundation. Tiger Woods and his father, Earl Woods, established the TGR Foundation back in 1996 to help community-based programs. The Hero World Challenge, with its star-studded line-up, used to mark the final appearance of the blue-eyed boy of the PGA Tour.

Although that has changed since then, now that he appears with his son at the PNC Championship regularly, the Bahamas tournament nonetheless hasn’t lost its appeal. The 20-man field for this edition includes 16 players from the OWGR Top 25. While Viktor Hovland gears up for his title defense, let’s take a look at its past winners and tournament records.

Past Winners of Hero World Challenge

The tournament was hosted twice in its inaugural year, first in January 2000 and then in December 2000. The first edition at a rain-soaked Grayhawk Golf Club saw former World No. 1 Tom Lehman clinch his first title after four years.

The tournament moved to December in the inaugural year itself. And it has been played in December ever since. The venue also moved to the Sherwood Country Club, which hosted the tournament until 2013. In the second edition, Davis Love III laid his claim on the Tiger’s Trophy. The 21-time PGA Tour winner got the better of Tiger Woods despite lagging four shots behind the leader in the final round.

However, it was not long after Woods netted his first Hero World Challenge victory at the Sherwood Country Club. The three-stroke victory over Vijay Singh in 2001 was the first of his five in the tournament.

Twenty years later, one Norwegian star walked into Albany for the first time and walked away with the Tiger’s Trophy, beating American pro Scottie Scheffler. Viktor Hovland would return again in 2022 to defend his title, and Scheffler would give another hot chase only to be outclassed by the Scandinavian superstar. With his title defense, Hovland also matched a tournament record held previously only by Tiger Woods.

Past Records of the Tournament

Hovland’s title defense was only the second in the tournament’s history. Way back in 2007, Tiger Woods defended his title to round off his year with eight victories. With 22 under, Woods netted a seven-stroke victory over Zach Johnson, who would take his revenge six years later to deny the 82-time PGA Tour winner his sixth Hero World Challenge title.

Read More: What Is Tiger Woods’ Record at Hero World Challenge? All You Need to Know About His Stellar Results

Notably, Woods’ record of seven-shot victories was shattered by Jordan Spieth when he notched a 10-shot victory over Henrik Stenson in 2014. Interestingly, Spieth also holds the record for the lowest 72-hole score of 262, four better than Bubba Watson’s 266.

But guess who won the tournament the most? Yup, it’s none other than the host, who won five times in the span of ten years. Tiger Woods’ first win came in 2001, with his last coming in 2011. Viktor Hovland, on the other hand, has a chance to make a three-peat at the Hero World Challenge. That would be a statement to make in front of the legend itself.

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