The 2026 Hero World Challenge has 17 of its 20 players confirmed for the annual Tiger Woods-hosted event in the Bahamas. The final three additions to the field will be announced later, and Woods is the name everyone will be watching for.
The initial field, released Monday, includes seven of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking as of the Aug. 31 eligibility date. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the group. He won in 2023 and 2024 and returns looking to become the first three-time winner at Albany. Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, who won in 2016 and again last year, is also looking to become a three-time winner.
Cameron Young (3), Matt Fitzpatrick (4), Russell Henley (6), Chris Gotterup (7), Sam Burns (9) and Xander Schauffele (10) complete the top-10 grouping. Si Woo Kim, Ryan Gerard and Jacob Bridgeman will make their tournament debuts.
Who’s missing
Three of the top 10 players are absent from the initial list: Rory McIlroy (2), Wyndham (5) and Tommy Fleetwood (8).
Akshay Bhatia is the lowest-ranked player in the field at No. 33, and several players ranked higher than the 24-year-old are currently missing from the field: Collin Morikawa (11), Viktor Hovland (12), Justin Rose (15) and Ludvig Aberg (16).
Jordan Spieth (62), who won this event in 2014 and received a sponsor’s exemption last year, is also a natural candidate for an invitation.
The host
Tiger Woods has not played in a tournament since he missed the cut at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He then ruptured his left Achilles in March 2025 and had a disc replacement in his back that October.
This year, Woods was arrested on DUI charges after a rollover crash in March near his home on Jupiter Island, Fla. Following the incident, he announced he was stepping away from golf to seek treatment. On Sept. 2, Woods pleaded no contest to reckless driving and accepted a five-year suspension of his driver’s license.
Last week video of Woods hitting balls at Monterey Peninsula Country Club during his foundation’s charity event in California offered the first extended look at his swing in months and his footage from the range spread fast. However, Woods has not yet announced a playing schedule going forward.
The Hero World Challenge will take place Dec. 3-6 at Albany Golf Club in Albany, Bahamas.