2019 Hero World Challenge Preview

2019 Hero World Challenge Preview

Dates: December 1-7, 2019
Where: Albany (New Providence, Bahamas)
Par/Yards: 72/7,309
2018 champion: Jon Rahm
Purse: $3,500,000/$1,000,000 (winner)
FedExCup: N/A
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Field: 18

Things to know

• Five-time winner and tournament host Tiger Woods set to compete before leading the United States team at next week’s Presidents Cup in Australia
• 11 of the 12 members of the U.S. Presidents Cup team are in the field
• Jon Rahm, the field’s highest ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking, returns to defend 2018 title
• Competition will conclude on Saturday to accommodate Presidents Cup participants’ travel to Australia

A look back at the 2018 Hero World Challenge

• In tournament debut, Jon Rahm won the Hero World Challenge by four shots over Tony Finau
• Justin Rose played his final five holes in 4-under to finish third
• Henrik Stenson recorded his fifth top-five in six starts at the event
• Tournament host and five-time champion Tiger Woods finished 17^th

Notes On The Field

• Five past champions: Tiger Woods (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011), Jordan Spieth (2014), Bubba Watson (2015), Rickie Fowler (2017), Jon Rahm (2018)
• Four FedExCup champions: Tiger Woods (2007, 2009), Jordan Spieth (2015), Justin Thomas (2017), Justin Rose (2018)
• Two 2019-20 tournament winners: Justin Thomas (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES), Tiger Woods (ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP)
• Dustin Johnson withdrew prior to the start of the tournament and was replaced in the field by Chez Reavie (making tournament debut)

Player Notes

Tiger Woods

• Tournament host and five-time winner (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• Has five runner-up finishes in addition to five wins (most recent: 2013)
• Finished 17^th in 2018 with rounds of 73-69-72-73
• Will serve as the second playing captain in Presidents Cup history next week after using one of his four initial Captain’s Picks to select himself
• Captured 82^nd PGA TOUR victory at the 2019 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, tying Sam Snead for the most all-time
• Will enter the new year at No. 12 in the FedExCup standings

Jon Rahm

• Won 2018 Hero World Challenge in his tournament debut
• At No. 3, is the highest ranked player in the field in the Official World Golf Ranking
• Did not make a start in the fall portion of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR schedule
• Finished tied for 12^th in the final 2018-19 FedExCup standings; earned a victory at the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Ryan Palmer, one of 12 top-10s on the season

Justin Thomas

• Making third start at the Hero World Challenge (11^th/2017, T12/2018)
• Won 11^th PGA TOUR title at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in the fall portion of the 2019-20 schedule, winning on TOUR for the fifth consecutive season
• Will make second appearance for the United States at next week’s Presidents Cup

Miscellaneous player notes

• 11 of the 12 players representing the United States at next week’s Presidents Cup are in the field (only Dustin Johnson is not)
• Patrick Cantlay finished T5 in his Hero World Challenge debut in 2018 and lost in a playoff in his most recent start on the PGA TOUR (defeated by Kevin Na at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open)
• Henrik Stenson has finished in the top five in five of his six starts at the Hero World Challenge (4^th/2006, T5/2007, 2^nd/2014, 2^nd/2016, 17^th/2017, 4^th/2018)
• Chez Reavie is the only player in the field making his tournament debut

Tournament records and history

• 18-hole score: 61 (Rickie Fowler/R4/2017)
• 72-hole score: 262 (Jordan Spieth/2014)
• Margin of victory: 10 (Jordan Spieth/2014)
• Come-from-behind victory: 12 (Tom Lehman/2000)
• Playoffs: 2 (most recent: 2013/Zach Johnson def. Tiger Woods)

Hero World Challenge/ONE Bahamas Fund

• As part of ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Dorian, the Hero World Challenge announced that additional donations will be made to the ONE Bahamas Fund through a charity challenge to the players
• The tournament will make a donation of $500 for each birdie, $1,000 for each eagle and $2,500 for each hole-in-one made during competition rounds
• The ONE Bahamas Fund was created to support relief and rebuilding efforts in The Bahamas and to support its residents who were affected by Hurricane Dorian
• Founders Justin Timberlake, Tiger Woods, NEXUS Luxury Collection, Royal Bank of Canada and members from the Albany community collectively pledged $6 million as a challenge gift, matching donations by the public dollar-for-dollar for the next $6 million – with a goal of raising a minimum of $12 million

via PGA TOUR