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

The tract for the Hero World Challenge has been announced and Tiger Woods is not a portion of the group, with the play fable having hosted the lawsuit for years

The line-up for the Hero World Challenge has been announced and portion Scottie Scheffler is starring the pack, 1 important lack is that of Tiger Woods.

The lack of Woods from the Hero World Challenge is peculiarly noticeable fixed that the golfing icon hosts the event. The Hero World Challenge forms portion of the PGA Tour docket but arsenic it's an unofficial event, participants don't person FedEx Cup points oregon authoritative funds.

In total, the prize wealth for the 2024 mentation of the lawsuit amounts to $4.5 cardinal (£3.5m) with the champion acceptable to pouch $1 cardinal (£770k). Despite this, the biggest names successful the athletics often enactment successful the tournament, though 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 each confirmed to compete. There are 3 further exemption spots disposable and the golfers awarded these spots volition beryllium announced shortly.

There's a anticipation that Woods could beryllium granted an exemption spot to vie successful the Hero World Challenge, which would align with his plans for the remainder of the year.

Although the 48-year-old had antecedently stated his volition to vie successful the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, his plans to enactment successful these events person been efficaciously enactment connected clasp pursuing his announcement that helium underwent different backmost surgery.

In a mid-September announcement connected societal media, the golfing icon revealed helium had undergone an cognition to tackle the discomfort that plagued his challenging 2024 season, which was marred by injuries. The process was carried retired by Dr. Sheeraz Quereshi and has been hailed arsenic a success.

Woods shared successful a statement: "The country went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this volition assistance alleviate the backmost spasms and symptom I was experiencing passim astir of the 2024 season," adding, "I look guardant to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get backmost to mean beingness activities, including golf."

This latest backmost country marks the sixth successful his career, with hopes precocious for a healthier tally successful the 2025 season. There's besides anticipation that Woods volition marque a timely comeback to enactment successful The Golf League, the caller inaugural he's launched with Rory McIlroy, designed to rival LIV Golf.

Should Woods marque a singular betterment successful clip for the Hero World Challenge successful December, determination remains a accidental helium could endure the aforesaid discomfort helium faced astatine past year's event. In a candid treatment with Golfweek successful December 2023, Woods didn't shy distant from describing the grade of his suffering during competition.

"Everywhere," was Woods' succinct effect erstwhile asked astir the soreness helium felt past year. He elaborated, "My leg, my back, my neck. Just from playing and hitting shots, trying to clasp disconnected shots. It's conscionable antithetic astatine crippled speed, too. Game velocity is simply a batch antithetic than at-home speed."

Despite experiencing discomfort astatine the Hero World Challenge successful 2023, Woods was assured helium could enactment successful astatine slightest 1 tourney per period successful 2024. Yet, his aspirations were derailed erstwhile helium declared successful July that helium would walk the remainder of the twelvemonth recuperating, acknowledging that his goals mightiness person been excessively ambitious.

"I thought I could play a small spot much earlier successful the year. I deliberation I was a small spot excessively optimistic," Woods confessed. "At the extremity of past year, it was tough, and I haven't played a full lot. I deliberation that, arsenic the twelvemonth has gone on, I person gotten better. I conscionable privation I could person played a small spot more, but I've been redeeming it for the majors conscionable successful lawsuit I bash thing beauteous large and past instrumentality myself retired of it."