Tiger Woods injury situation obvious as Scottie Scheffler heads £3.5m tournament

The field for the Hero World Challenge has been announced and Tiger Woods is not a part of the group, with the golf legend having hosted the event for years

The line-up for the Hero World Challenge has been announced and while Scottie Scheffler is leading the pack, one significant absence is that of Tiger Woods.

The absence of Woods from the Hero World Challenge is particularly noticeable given that the golfing icon hosts the event. The Hero World Challenge forms part of the PGA Tour schedule but as it’s an unofficial event, participants don’t receive FedEx Cup points or official funds.

In total, the prize money for the 2024 version of the event amounts to $4.5 million (£3.5m) with the champion set to pocket $1 million (£770k). Despite this, the biggest names in the sport often participate in the tournament, although this time, Woods is absent.

Currently, Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Sam Burns, Brian Harman, Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Aaron Rai, Billy Horschel, Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Matthieu Pavon and Bob MacIntyre are all confirmed to compete. There are three additional exemption spots available and the golfers awarded these spots will be announced shortly.

There’s a possibility that Woods could be granted an exemption spot to compete in the Hero World Challenge, which would align with his plans for the remainder of the year.

Although the 48-year-old had previously stated his intention to compete in the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, his plans to participate in these events have been effectively put on hold following his announcement that he underwent another back surgery.

In a mid-September announcement on social media, the golfing icon revealed he had undergone an operation to tackle the discomfort that plagued his challenging 2024 season, which was marred by injuries. The procedure was carried out by Dr. Sheeraz Quereshi and has been hailed as a success.