The field for this year’s Hero World Challenge is mostly set, with few surprises, although now the big storyline is if the tournament host will tee it up as well.
Seven of the top 10 players in the world will compete at the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge Dec. 3-6 at Albany in the Bahamas, and no, Woods is not in the 20-player field. At least not yet.
While it wouldn’t be surprising if Woods sat this one out, only 17 players were announced Monday, with three spots remaining for a “TBA tournament exemption.” Leaving a few spots available for last-minute exemptions is typical for the Hero, and it also makes it convenient for Woods to snag one himself — without kicking a player out — if he’s satisfied with his health and game. In past years Woods has used one of these exemptions on himself, but other times he’s passed on it.
The 15-time major champion hasn’t played since he missed the cut at the 2024 Open Championship. He ruptured his achilles in March 2025 and had a disc replacement in his back in October 2025. He played in one TGL match in March 2026 but was involved in a rollover car crash just a few days later and arrested on suspicion of DUI. He announced he was stepping away to seek treatment and focus on his health, and last month in court he pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving.
Woods has yet to announce when he’ll return. This week he was listed on the roster for season three of TGL (he’ll captain his Jupiter Links Golf Club) and last week he was spotted hitting balls at a junior clinic at Pebble Beach, which ignited the latest round of speculation about a return.
If or when Woods does come back to pro golf, it will be on a limited schedule, similar to what he did in 2024 when he played in all four majors plus the Genesis Invitational, where he serves as tournament host. (He’s also Champions Tour eligible now that he’s 50, if that’s something he wants to pursue.) He last played the Hero in 2023, and if he feels up to it this year, it remains a low-stress, easy-walking course for him to slowly work back into action.
Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young headline the Hero World Challenge field. You can see the complete list of players confirmed below.
2026 Hero World Challenge field (World Ranking)
Scottie Scheffler (1)
Matt Fitzpatrick (3)
Cameron Young (4)
Chris Gotterup (6)
Russell Henley (8)
Xander Schauffele (9)
Sam Burns (10)
J.J. Spaun (12)
Si Woo Kim (14)
Jacob Bridgeman (16)
Robert MacIntyre (18)
Ryan Gerard (23)
Hideki Matsuyama (25)
Justin Thomas (29)
Tom Kim (31)
Akshay Bhatia (35)
Sepp Straka (37)
TBA tournament exemption
TBA tournament exemption
TBA tournament exemption
