The field for this year’s World Hero Challenge is mostly set, with few surprises, although right now the big storyline is whether the tournament host will even make it.
Seven of the top 10 players in the world will compete at the Tiger Woods-host 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 placed this, only 17 players were announced on Monday, with three spots remaining for a “tournament exemption TBA.” Leaving a few spots available for last-minute waivers is typical for the Heroes, and it also makes it convenient for Woods to snack on one himself — without removing a player — if he’s happy with his health and game. In recent years Woods has used one of these exemptions on himself, but other times he has passed it.
The 15-time major champion has not played since missing the cut at the 2024 Open Championship. He tore 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 accident a few days later and arrested on suspicion of DUI. He announced he was stepping down to seek treatment and focus on his health, and pleaded no contest in court last month to a reduced charge of reckless driving.
Woods has not yet announced when he will return. This week he was listed on the roster for the third season of TGL (he will captain his Jupiter Links Golf Club) and last week he was spotted hitting balls in a junior clinic at Pebble Beachwhich ignited the latest round of speculation about a return.
If or when Woods returns 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 the host of the tournament. (He’s also eligible for the Champions Tour now that he’s 50, if that’s something he wants to pursue.) He last played at the Heroes in 2023, and if he sits around this year, it remains a low-stress, easy course for him to slowly work his way into action.
Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young headline the Hero World Challenge field. You can see the full list of confirmed players below.
Camp 2026 Hero World Challenge (World Ranking)
Scottie Scheffler (1)
Matt Fitzpatrick (3)
Cameron Young (4)
Chris Gotterup (6)
Russell Henley (8)
Xander Schauffele (9)
Sam Burns (10)
JJ 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)
Tournament exemption TBA
Tournament exemption TBA
Tournament exemption TBA
