On Monday, the field for the 2023 edition of the Hero World Challenge was announced.
With a field of 20 set to return to Albany in the Bahamas November 30 - December 3, we now know who the men are that are competing and, as we have come to expect with the Hero, the list reads like somewhat of an all-star game for men’s golf:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Viktor Hovland
- Patrick Cantlay
- Xander Schauffele
- Max Homa
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Brian Harman
- Wyndham Clark
- Jordan Spieth
- Cameron Young
- Keegan Bradley
- Colin Morikawa
- Tony Finau
- Sam Burns
- Jason Day
- Sepp Straka
- Will Zalatroris
- Rickie Fowler
- Justin Thomas
Now, a few names in particular immediately jump out on that list. For starters, it’s good to see that Will Zalatoris is healthy enough again to tee it up with the big boys, even if it is an exhibition. The Hero will signal his first round of competitive golf since announcing he was undergoing a microdiscectomy in April.
The field will also feature 13 players from this year’s Ryder Cup, 11 from the American side and 3 from the winning European side, and Keegan Bradley, arguably the biggest name that didn’t make it to Rome.
However, the name seemingly getting the most attention is the name that’s not even listed at the moment. As you can see from the list above, there are only 19 names. It’s a 20-man field. For the moment the 20th name on the field list reads “TBA tournament exemption”.
Now, we aren’t looking to jump to any conclusions here, but the Hero is Tiger Woods’ event. It just so happens that videos have surfaced recently of Tiger on the course and hitting balls. Deductive reasoning would show that Tiger is gearing up to see if he can give it a go with some of his friends in the Bahamas in about 6 weeks.
Playing in the Hero would not only be a treat for fans, but it may also indicate that we could see Tiger at least try and play a few PGA Tour events this upcoming season, including the majors.
Whether the 20th man is Tiger or someone else, one thing’s for sure. The Hero will once again be a fun, star-studded event to help us golf fans get through the lull in the schedule and get us ready for the 2024 season.
