The 2024 Hero World Challenge field includes bigwigs but not that one name fans were eager to see the most. Five of the world’s top ten, led by the 2x Masters champion and reigning world no. 1, Scottie Scheffler, will travel to the Bahamas in December. Tiger Woods, as the host, will be present, but whether he will swing a club or not was under doubt. Chances are he might.
The 15-time major champion underwent his sixth back surgery, a microdecompression, last month. Woods was hopeful that it would solve the existing problems of back spasms that he experienced at the Genesis Invitational and subsequent tournaments. Nevertheless, the HWC field announcement raised multiple questions about Woods’s health.
But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his name isn’t in the initial field. And it won’t be a shock either if the 15-time major champion tees off at his Albany resort in December. When Woods announced the 2023 Hero World Challenge field, one spot was left empty. Later, Woods filled that spot himself. This time, there are three spots left for tournament exemption.
Actually, the HWC comeback has been a pattern for the 48-year-old. Think of 2017. The 82-time PGA Tour winner returned to the Bahamas event after a nine-month hiatus after his fourth back surgery. A year before, once again HWC served as his stage of return after his two consecutive back surgeries.
The case was the same in 2014. The 2011 iteration (then known as the Chevron World Challenge) was his first victory after a tumultuous two years of personal and professional trouble. So, there is indeed a good chance Tiger Woods might follow the same route. Last year, Woods announced the field in October but committed to the event in November, barely two weeks before it actually started.
There is, however, doubt about how well he will perform. Last time, Tiger Woods opened with a 75 thanks to a closing stretch disaster. Nevertheless, Woods has offered a glimpse of what his schedule will look like in the coming days.
What does Tiger Woods’s future schedule look like?It was last December that Tiger Woods laid out his plans for 2024. One tournament a month said the 15-time major champion. However, soon the world realized that four rounds of competitive golf had become too grueling a task for Tiger Woods. After making a record-setting 24th cut at Augusta National, Woods succumbed to exhaustion, carding an 82 in the third round, finishing dead last among those who made the cuts.
The 2024 season finished on a sour note as Woods exited Royal Troon on Friday, carding 14-over. From there, the 15-time major champion hinted that he was looking forward to teeing up at the PNC Championship, which he jokingly termed the ‘fifth major’. Team Woods has yet to miss an edition since making their debut in 2020. So, they’ll miss this year seems highly unlikely.
Notably, Tiger Woods has also been given a lifetime exemption into the PGA Tour Signature events. So, the 48-year-old can tee off in eight regular tournaments should his body permit. Meanwhile, his tech-infused TGL will kick off this January as well. But there is a chance the world will see a glimpse of Woods well before that. The 2024 Hero World Challenger will tie on December 5.
