Not Just for Tiger Woods, Here Are Three More Stellar Reasons Why Hero World Challenge Is a Must-Watch

Come the month of December, the elite of the golf world descends to the Bahamas. The Albany outing has sort of become a casual pre-Christmas hangout and social gathering for the sport’s top-of-the-crop. This year, it’s more significant than the last two editions. Because, yes, you guessed it right, Tiger Woods is finally making a return to the greens at the Hero World Challenge.

But much has already been written about the veteran golfer’s return. So much so that many almost forget that the field features 19 players who are in the top 40. In fact, current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has also decided to break his post-Ryder Cup hiatus. What are the other storylines you should keep an eye on? We picked the top three.

Something more than Tiger Woods’ return is on the offing

Viktor Hovland can break Tiger Woods’ record at the Hero World Challenge

The 82-time PGA Tour winner has the most wins in the Hero World Challenge—five. While Hovland needs three more to match that, there is another Tiger Woods feat that he can surpass this year. Last year, the Norwegian defended his title by beating Scottie Scheffler in the final round. A three-peat is on the offing—a unique accolade that the host of the tournament doesn’t have.

Scottie Scheffler ends his hiatus

Scheffler was broken. He was crushed. The Marco Simone outing was a nightmare for the OWGR no. 1. The six-time PGA Tour winner paired up with Brooks Koepka. The two shared six majors between them. Whereas Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, two Ryder Cup rookies, had, well, zero Majors under their belt.

Yet, in a shocking, baffling, and outrageous duel, two American pros were tossed and turned before succumbing to a 9&7 loss—a Ryder Cup record no one wanted to have. The 27-year-old pro has been absent from the greens since then. All eyes will be on him as he finally comes out of his cave to win a title that he was denied twice by… again, Viktor Hovland.

Don’t forget the debutants at the Hero World Challenge

Wyndham Clark is the most significant name among the debutants this year. The American Pro had eight top-10 finishes this season with two titles to his name. The Albany invitation, predictably, was a reward for his 2023 US Open victory over Rory McIlroy.

Brian Harman is another 2023 Major winner on the field. The Open champion’s last outing was at the RSM Classic, where he finished in the 44th position.

Read More: Is Tiger Woods’ Presence the Key Factor Behind Hero World Challenge Getting OWGR Recognition While DP World Suffers a Tragic Dejection?

What about Will Zalatoris, though? A back injury and subsequent microdisectomy sidelined him from the greens for nearly eight months. In that time, he took some classes, updated his LinkedIn profile, and is now back on the greens.

The Hero World Challenge is set to tee off on November 30 at the Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas. Aside from Tiger Woods, the field features 16 players from the top 25 in the OWGR. The $4.5 million is up for grabs on the small Atlantic island.

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