Tiger Woods' return tournament confirmed

19/11/2023 16:29

As some pundits had predicted, Tiger Woods will make his return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods was already slated to host the event and announced his intention to play on social media recently.

The 15-time major champion underwent ankle surgery earlier this year but recently showed promising signs that his comeback was gathering steam at last.

“Tournament host @TigerWoods to play in the 2023 #Hero WorldChallenge,” a post on X proclaimed.

Woods withdrew from the third round of this year’s Masters in April and later that month underwent ankle surgery to alleviate arthritis caused by injuries sustained in his 2021 crash.

Woods, who has 82 PGA Tour titles to his name, has struggled to walk courses for four rounds since his comeback from the injury.

He caddied for son Charlie in a 54-hole competition in November and also appeared before last week’s PGA Tour event in Mexico, the tour’s inaugural event on a course he created, El Cardonal at Diamonte.

Woods was spotted strolling freely down a large staircase and speaking with players, including fellow American Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open winner, who stated Woods was in “go mode” and had returned to practising.

Exemptions Justin Rose and Lucas Glover join Woods, while Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Viktor Hovland are all slated to compete in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Tiger Woods hosts the Hero World Challenge, a golf event held in December. The field has a modest number of top-ranked golf pros (now 20). The Tiger Woods Foundation will benefit from the tournament. The tournament is on the PGA Tour calendar, but it does not provide FedEx Cup points or official prize money because it is unofficial.

The event began with a 16-man field consisting of the reigning champion, the top 11 eligible players from the Official World Golf Ranking, and four sponsors exemptions selected by the Tiger Woods Foundation. The field was expanded to 18 players in 2008, with the most recent winners of the four major PGA events, the top 11 eligible players from the Official World Golf Ranking, the reigning champion, and two special exemption players chosen by the foundation making up the field.

The prize money won by the participants is not included in the money rankings on any of the world’s professional golf tours, although the PGA Tour recognises the tournament as an unofficial money event. The event has offered Official World Golf Ranking points since 2009.

A pro-am competition, in which professional golfers compete alongside amateurs, precedes the Hero World Challenge tournament. The pro-am portion of the Hero World Challenge is normally held two days before the first round of professional play. The “Am-Am outing” takes place on the first day, while the “Official Pro-Am” takes place on the second. Access to the pro-am competition is restricted to tournament partners only. The public is not permitted to enter the pro-am competition.

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