2023 WWT Championship: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money and Major Details

The WWT returns for another edition this year. The event will happen in Los Cabos, Mexico, starting on November 2, 2023. The defending champion of the tournament, Russell Henley, and the two-time former champion Viktor Hovland are not in the field for the current year’s edition. 

Viktor Hovland won the title twice, consecutively, in 2020 and 2021. He finished in the top 10 positions last year, but in the current year, he is not playing. Russell Henley, who soared past Brian Harman, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, and others to win the title last year, has also skipped the tournament in 2023. 

Who will win the WWT Championship 2023?

Among the 132 players who will compete for this year’s title, we have picked five golfers who are most likely to snatch the trophy. 

Ludvig Aberg:

Ludvig Aberg is the one on the list with the most recent near-win encounter. He finished the Sanderson Farms Championship tied at second position with three others. This was after a fierce playoff for the title that included Aberg as well. Earlier in July, he finished the John Deere Classic with a shared fourth position. Including the above two, he has had six top-25 finishes so far in this season, out of the nine events he has played. He is also fresh out of the Ryder Cup, where he performed quite well. 

Sahith Theegala:

Sahith Theegala turned heads with his overwhelming victory at the Fortinet this September. Competing against the likes of Justin Thomas and Max Homa, he grabbed his much-awaited trophy. Including this win, he has had eight top-10 finishes this season. Four of them were top-5 finishes as well, including the shared second position he held at the RSM Classic in November 2022. He currently holds the 29th position at the OWGR.  

Lucas Glover:

Lucas Glover’s most notable performances of this season were in August at the Wyndham Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He won the title in both tournaments.

In the St. Jude Championship, he tied with Patrick Cantlay for the first position and won the trophy after a playoff. In July as well, he had a glorious career month. He had three top-10 finishes in the month. Glover currently ranks 32nd at the OWGR.

Cameron Young:

Cameron Young hasn’t had a win this season. He came close in the Hero World Challenge in December 2022, where he finished third. He had five top-10 finishes this season, which included his impressive T7 finish at the Masters earlier this year. In July this year, he finished with T6 and T8 positions at the John Deere Classic, and the Open Championship respectively. He currently holds a world ranking of 16, the lowest of the players competing in this tournament. 

Chris Kirk:

Chris Kirk is the only player in the field other than the above-mentioned four who holds an OWGR position of less than 100. He actually comes within the top 50, standing at the 49th position. His most notable outing this season has been in February this year. Kirk won the title after a playoff at the Honda Classic Championship. In January, he had a solo third-position finish at the Sony Open and a shared third-position finish at the American Express Championship. Including one other top-10 finish, he totally has had four of them this season so far. 

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Before we move onto the prize money aspect of the World Wide Tech Tournament, let’s look at an honorable mention among the most likely players to win the title. 

Matt Kuchar, a former WWT Champion, is also in the field this year. He won the tournament in the year 2018. In the past two years, he has finished within the top 30 positions in the WWT tournament. Recently, he finished within the top 10 positions at the Fortinet Championship as well. Let’s see if this time, he reclaims what was his once.

What is the prize money for the WWT tournament?

The prize money for the title winner last year was close to $1.5 million. The runner-up received close to $900,000, and the overall purse for the event was $8.2 million. It appears the tournament will stick to the same amounts this year as well. 

When and where to watch the tournament?

The live coverage will begin at 4.30 PM ET, on the first three days, and on the fourth day at 3 PM. Golf Channel and Golf Channel Latin America will televise the event. 

With competent players at the top who all look equally capable of finishing first, let’s see who takes home the trophy this year!

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