Seven of the top 10 players on the World Ranking, including World No. 1 and two-time winner Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele, are set to compete in the 20-player field at Albany in The Bahamas, Dec. 3-6. Missing are Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood. Also not listed: Tiger himself. Perhaps that’s no surprise, given he hasn’t competed in this event since 2023 and in any tournament since the 2024 Open Championship. But recent video of him on the range at the TW Invitational at Monterey Peninsula C.C. suggests he’s making progress with his game. There remain three “tournament exemption” spots to be filled, perhaps one being held for Woods if he decides he’s ready to get back inside the ropes. A less intense return could come a week later at the PNC Championship, where he could play once again with his son Charlie in a two-day team event.

2026 HERO WORLD CHALLENGE FIELD
Name (Official World Golf Ranking as of 8/31/26 eligibility date)
Scottie Scheffler (1)
Cameron Young (3)
Matt Fitzpatrick (4)
Russell Henley (6)
Chris Gotterup (7)
Sam Burns (9)
Xander Schauffele (10)
Si Woo Kim (13)
J.J. Spaun (17)
Robert MacIntyre (18)
Justin Thomas (21)
Ryan Gerard (22)
Hideki Matsuyama (26)
Jacob Bridgeman (28)
Tom Kim (30)
Sepp Straka (32)
Akshay Bhatia (33)
TBA tournament exemption
TBA tournament exemption
TBA tournament exemption