NASSAU, BAHAMAS – DECEMBER 02: Scottie Schefflerplays his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course a the 2023 event that he’d go on to win. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
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With mittens weather walloping a large swath of the nation as the countdown to Christmas and Chanukah begins in earnest, golf in the Bahamas sounds like the perfect plan right about now.
Twenty top-tier PGA TOUR pros will tee it up at Albany on New Providence Island, where World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler attempts to pull off three-peat and tie a bow on a brilliant six-win 2025 campaign that included triumphs at a pair of majors (PGA Championship and The Open) and saw him finish top 25 in every single start.
The Longhorn alum has an impressive record here, posting back-to-back runner-up finishes before claiming the title in each of the last two years. He currently holds an eye-popping 67.25 scoring average over his 16 competitive rounds played at Albany and his 25-under tally last year tied the tournament scoring record at its current venue.
“What he’s doing on the golf course is just incredible, the consistency…the strategy…how he attacks the golf course,” Tiger Woods said earlier today in the pre-tournament presser. “He doesn’t have lapses in a round like most players do. He’s there present for all 18 holes and all shots played and that’s hard to do. To do that day in and day out with the grueling schedule that the Tour has and the players are playing now in more of a condensed season, and the big events that he’s playing in. I mean, he won six times and they’re not small events. He’s beating the best fields.”
While fans can’t get enough of Scheffler’s unique foot sliding action off the tee, for Tiger, it’s the poetry of his irons game is must-see Scottie T.V.
“I truly love watching him hit irons, the shaped shots that he hits, the trajectory, the window changes that he has, the distance control, the miss in the proper spot, the proper spin in certain pin locations. These are all subtle things that mean a lot over the course of 72 holes. If you don’t have trajectory control, you can’t have distance control. To see him move it up and down in different windows, use wind, fight wind and control spin is fun to watch.”
Woods has now hosted this event that he started with his late father Earl for a quarter century, with the Ernie Els–designed Albany course serving as its stage for the past decade. For the fourth time in the last five years, the 15-time major winner will not tee it up in his own event. Even so, Woods’ presence here at this no-cut showcase always factors large. He’ll of course be the one handing the leaderboard topper a sculpted tiger trophy.
While it may be silly season event with Woods’ clout, a $5 million purse on the line and Official World Golf Ranking points up for grabs, the vibe is definitely more dialed-in than it is for some of the other December events. Considering players who work their way into the top 50 in the OWGR by year end receive an invite to the Masters, there are major implications at stake
There are three Hero newbies in the field: J.J. Spaun, Andrew Novak and Chris Gotterup as well as three sponsor’s exemptions in Jordan Spieth, Akshay Bhatia and Billy Horschel (currently ranked 45th with a golden opportunity to improve his standing).
Scheffler may be the headliner, but in a 20-man field loaded with talent, a first-timer or one of the lower-ranked players in the field could easily crash the party.