The much-awaited Hero World Challenge is finally here. Scheduled to take place from December 5 to December 8, it will return to its set ground at Albany in the Bahamas. It was started by Tiger Woods and his father Earl Woods in 2000 and was set to combine the best of luxury with twenty of the world’s top-ranked golfers. But is that the case now? Does the field have the world’s top-ranked players? Not really! 

Take the 2024 edition for example. This year, only three players from the top 10 will be part of the field: Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark, and six players fall between the eleven to twenty ranks. Last year, all the players in the top 10, except Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm were part of the field. Additionally, several players such as Sepp Straka and Jason Day were part of the field between ranks eleven to twenty, and only the remaining five players were not in the top 20, one of them was the host himself. But the shocking fact is that this year, twelve players such as Akshay Bhatia and Justin Thomas are between the ranks 21 to 34, which shows a massive graph difference.

Not to forget some prominent members. Take Tiger Woods for example. After the Open Championship, Tiger Woods was set to return to play the event in Albany, but due to his recent back surgery, he had to withdraw from the event. And well, that is not all for the reduction of stars. Also, Xander Schauffele, who is currently ranked No. 2 on the OWGR list, and won two majors in one season, will not be returning this year. Could Schauffele’s absence demonstrate that the popularity of the event has been dropping?

On December 2, a few hours ago, the PGA Tour Communications took to their official X account and shared a list of the confirmed twenty players who will be a part of the grand event as per the listings made on November 28. The last name on the list is that of Nick Dunlap, #33, who only has two wins on the PGA Tour. However, it has also been mentioned that the names are subject to change. 

The 2024 Hero World Challenge begins in less than 48 hours, and well, the final field list came as a disappointment to the golf community.

Golf community calls Tiger Woods’s Hero World Challenge field weak

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion at the 2024 Hero World Challenge. But do you know who defeated the World No. 1, not just once but twice in a row? Viktor Hovland! In 2021, he had a one-stroke lead and Scheffler took the runner-up position, and in 2022, he defeated Scheffler by two strokes. Last year, Hovland dropped down to the tenth position, eleven strokes away from Scheffler. But he remained the fan favorite and was expected to come back to give Scheffler a tough fight once again.

However, he, like other star players too backed out. Viktor Hovland cited an injury. Taking to this, people left comments like, “Not too many heroes!” And “This is by far the weakest Hero field I have ever seen.”

Tony Finau has been associated with defection rumors for a year. They have struck again with him withdrawing from the HWC. Last year, Rahm withdrew from the tournament, and just a month later, news of his defection came. The Utah native did not compete during the PGA Tour’s Fall season. Taking to this, one of them commented, “Tony Finau – YOU are off to LIV golf”.

Tony Finau has never failed to finish in the top 10 in all his five appearances. In fact, in his debut at the 2019 Hero World Challenge, he finished with an exceptional 16-under back and bagged the solo second, just four strokes away from Jon Rahm. The fans at Albany are true to his presence. But with the disappointment of him not being there this year, one of them commented, “With Tony Finau pulling out, the Hero is going to be like a funeral procession for the PGA. it’s over. Tiger is done, no one cares about anyone over there.”

If Scottie Scheffler had any competition this year at the FedEx Cup Playoffs, it was Xander Schauffele. But he was last seen playing at the ZOZO Championship in October, where he finished at T38. Fans were expecting him to come back for the star-studded event. However, according to Today’s Golfer, Xander Schauffele revealed that he wanted some time off from golf to relax and recharge, marking his first break since the pandemic. Taking to this, one unaware fan even asked, “No Xander? Reason?”

Well, there is no doubt that the field list indeed has deteriorated throughout the years. At least a lot of prominent names have gone missing and that makes it visible. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below!