Sports News | Hefty Star Power at Hero World Challenge Despite Woods' Absence
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Tiger Woods' return to competition after a short hiatus was derailed due to injury but an array of golf stars will look to put up a show in his absence and grab OWGR points at the Hero World Challenge starting here on Thursday.
Nassau, Nov 30 (PTI) Tiger Woods' return to competition after a short hiatus was derailed due to injury but an array of golf stars will look to put up a show in his absence and grab OWGR points at the Hero World Challenge starting here on Thursday.
The 15-time major champion withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which he said has made it difficult for him to walk.
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However, the golf legend will still be around at the Albany Golf Course as he plays host this week.
Woods hasn't played since the British Open in July and his absence this week is a downer but the 20-man field studded with stars is something to look forward to at the no-cut event.
The field features 15 of the top 20 players in the world with defending champion Viktor Hovland returning alongside last year's runner-up Scottie Scheffler.
Two-time winner in 2022, Sepp Straka of Austria has replaced Woods in the small field, while major winners Jordan Speith, Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa and Matthew Fitzpatrick will also be in action, vying for the winner's cheque of USD 1 million.
The likes of Cameron Young, Max Homa, Tom Kim and Sam Burns will be making their debut at the charity event and the duo of Tommy Fleetwood and Kevin Kisner has been handed tournament exemption.
Although it is an invitational event, there are still Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points up for grabs with a total prize purse of USD 3.5 million.
World number 5 Jon Rahm, who will be making his third appearance at the HWC, is the favourite to win this week.
The Spaniard, a 14-time winner worldwide and 2021 U.S. Open champion, is coming on the back of a victory at the DP World Tour Championship and would be eager to continue his hot streak, having notched two wins in his past three starts.
Debutant Tom Kim burst onto the scene this year as he won the Wyndham Championship in August, playing on special temporary PGA Tour membership. The 20-year-old South Korean is enjoying his breakout year and impressed at the 'Hero Shot' event on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Morikawa, a two-time major winner, has had a down season by his standards, but the world number 10 has still managed to finish in the top five at two of the four major championships in 2022.
The 25-year-old got married last week and the winner's cheque would be a great wedding gift for the American golfer. His last worldwide win was the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.
Morikawa's strengths suit this course, as he was rewarded for his precision and accuracy in his T5 finish last year.
Like Morikawa, Fleetwood has an elite short game that should allow him to navigate this venue, which combines the best of links and desert features with windswept dunes and challenging water features.
An experienced links player, the Englishman enters the event on the back of a terrific 2022 season that included a win on the DP World Tour just a few weeks ago in South Africa.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)