The Hero World Challenge kicks off this week for an unofficial event on the PGA Tour at Albany in the Bahamas.
Although there are no FedEx Cup points given out this week, Official World Golf Rankings points and prize money will be distributed to a field loaded with the game’s brightest stars.
Despite tournament host, Tiger Woods, withdrawing from the tournament field on Monday due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the field still has star-studded class. Five of the top 10 players and 11 of the top 20 in the World Rankings are teeing it up this week.
All 20 players in the Hero World Challenge field could hoist the trophy on Sunday, including the reigning champion, Viktor Hovland.
Last year, Hovland won with a score of 18-under par as he became the fourth champion of the Hero World Challenge in the last five years to win with that number.
Albany has been the host for this unofficial PGA Tour event since 2015 and the course is located on the west side of New Province Island in the Bahamas. This course is a par 72 the features five par-5s and five par-3s as players will encounter strategically placed water hazards and dunes.
Here are 10 players who can win this week’s Hero World Challenge.
10. Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa enters this week with momentum but not on the course but in life. Last week, he got married, so that means no more anxiety of wedding planning and back to a golf mentality this week in the Bahamas.
A year ago, Morikawa had the 54-hole lead but squandered his five-shot advantage to finish in fifth place.
It is a tournament for Morikawa to redeem himself.
9. Max Homa
The string of newness on this list continues with Homa. No Homa did not get married, but he is playing his first tournament as a father. The 32-year-old is making his Hero World Challenge debut this week, already with a win under the belt this season.
So far on the PGA Tour schedule this season, Homa has been finding success with his ability to make birdies, ranking seventh with five per round.
8. Tommy Fleetwood
Although Tommy Fleetwod is making his first appearance in the Hero World Challenge in five years, he has seen recent success on the course to have him in a good position when he tees off on Thursday.
Fleetwood finished in fourth place at The CJ CUP in October. Last month, he played two events on the DP World Tour that saw him hoisting the trophy at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and finished fifth at the DP World Tour Championship.
Fleetwood tees off with his fellow English mate, Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the Hero Shot with a slam dunk, at 8:33 a.m. PT.
7. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth may have finished last in the leaderboard a year ago, but so much has happened since then, including being part of a winning Presidents Cup team where he went 5-0 in his matches and became the first American to reach that mark in 11 years.
The 13-time PGA Tour winner is looking to get this victory and have momentum heading into the heart of the schedule that kicks off in January.
6. Xander Schauffele
The Olympic Gold Medalist will participate in his fourth straight Hero World Challenge this week, looking to find his form that saw him three times last season on the PGA Tour.
One thing to watch for Schuaffele is how he starts in his first round. In his previous three trips to Albany, he finished his opening round no lower than 2-under 70. If Schauffele can navigate this course with success on Thursday, he has shown he go lower as the tournament progresses.
5. Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland, the reigning champion, shot all for rounds in the 60s last year, highlighted by a final round 6-under 66 to win the trophy.
This year, Hovland is trying to do the same thing as he led the field in driving accuracy and was one of two players with four eagles to lead the field.
Hovland and Morikawa tee off in the 10th and final grouping of Thursday’s first round at 9:39 a.m. PT.
4. Tony Finau
After winning the Houston Open a couple weeks ago, Tony Finau won his third tournament in the last seven starts.
Like Schauffele, Finau is making his fourth trip to Albany. The 33-year-old best finish came in his rookie appearance when he shot 16-under and was the runner up to Jon Rahm.
On Thursday, Finau tees off with Homa at 8:55 am. PT.
3. Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas was hoping to play with his best friend, Tiger Woods, this week. With the 82-time PGA Tour winner not in the field, it will give Thomas extra motivation to pull off a victory for Woods’ tournament.
Last year, Thomas, who finished tied for fifth place with Morikawa, needs to focus on getting balls in the fairway and on the green in regulation. Those two areas really hurt Thomas going any higher on the leaderboard.
Thomas tees off with Woods replacement, Sepp Straka, at 9:06 a.m. PT on Thursday.
2. Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler tried to make a run for the title but after shooting a 6-under 30 on the back nine, it too late as Hovland recorded back-to-back eagles on holes 14 and 15 en route to winning the Hero World Challenge.
His finish on the final day, in addition to lead the field in greens in regulation last year, will motivate him even more this week.
Scheffler tees off with his fellow Texas Longhorn, Jordan Spieth on Thursday at 9:28 a.m. PT.
1. Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm probably has best resume as of late coming into Albany. Rahm has won two of his last three starts and finished first in 2018 and second in 2019 in his only two Hero World Challenge appearances.
During his championship run four year ago, Rahm finished strong on Sunday, shooting a 7-under 65 on the final day to claim the trophy.
Rahm tees off with Schauffere at 9:17 a.m. PT on Thursday.