Tiger Woods to Return at His Hero World Challenge

Tiger Woods announced Wednesday that he will compete next month at the Hero World Challenge.

Woods hasn’t played since the Open Championship in July, when he missed the cut in what could be his final Open at St. Andrews. He has played a total of nine competitive rounds this year.

The Hero, scheduled for Dec. 1-4, is a natural return spot for Woods, whose foundation runs the 20-man exhibition at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. Even while recovering from a variety of injuries, he has played the event four of the past five years.  

The initial field list for the Hero was announced last month but three tournament sponsor exemptions remained to be filled. Woods took one of those spots, while Kevin Kisner and Tommy Fleetwood will round out the field.

Tournament officials said last week that Shane Lowry will fill in for Will Zalatoris, who is still recovering from a back injury.

December could be a busy month for Woods, who is soon to turn 47.

As of now, he’s slated to at least play in consecutive weeks, with the Hero and the Dec. 10 match with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Not yet announced is whether he will return to play the PNC Championship with son Charlie, after their runner-up appearance last year.