Hero World Challenge Preview 2017

Hero World Challenge Preview 2017

• The 19th annual Hero World Challenge, held November 30 – December 3, 2017, returns to New Providence, Bahamas for the third time, to be contested at Albany (7,309 yards). Host Tiger Woods is among 18 of the PGA TOUR’s elite to compete for the $1 million top prize ($3.5 total purse) in the annual 72-hole, stroke-play event.

About the Host

• Host Tiger Woods, the winner of 79 career PGA TOUR titles including 14 major championships, returns to the Hero World Challenge as a participant for the second straight year, having led the field in birdies in 2016 (24) en route to a 15th place finish.
• Woods owns five victories (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011) and five runner-up finishes (most recent to Zach Johnson in 2013) in 15 prior Hero World Challenge starts.
• A missed cut at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open marks Woods’ last start on TOUR.

Hideki Matsuyama set to defend his 2016 Hero World Challenge title

• Second and third-round leader Hideki Matsuyama posted a final-round 1-over 73 to win the 2016 Hero World Challenge by two strokes over Henrik Stenson, capping off a torrid streak of four wins in his last five worldwide starts.
• With rounds of 65- 67-65, Matsuyama entered the final round with a seven-stroke cushion over Stenson and Dustin Johnson, tying Jordan Spieth (2014) for the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history.
• As he makes his fourth start at the Hero World Challenge (13/2014, T17/2015, 1/2015), Matsuyama will attempt to join Tiger Woods (2006-07) as the only players to win the Hero  World Challenge in back-to-back seasons.

The 2017 Hero World Challenge field

• The field of 18 PGA TOUR players is invited as follows: winner of the previous year’s Hero World Challenge, current four major championships winners, top 11 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Sept. 25, 2017 (following the TOUR Championship), two special-exemption players (restricted to players ranked among the top 50 on the OWGR as of 9/25/17 or the tournament host) and, if necessary, the next available players from the OWGR through 9/25/17.
• Here’s a list of this year’s participants: Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Charley Hoffman, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Kisner, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods.

The field by the numbers

• Four FedExCup champions (five titles): Tiger Woods (2007 and 2009), Henrik Stenson (2013), Jordan Spieth
  (2015), Justin Thomas (2016).
• Current FedExCup champion (Justin Thomas) and Race to Dubai champion (Tommy Fleetwood).
• Thirteen players who participated in the 2017 Presidents Cup (including assistant captain Tiger Woods).
• Seven of the 18 players have won major championships.
• Five countries represented, including 12 players from the United States (England, Italy, Spain, Sweden)
• From the 2016 Olympic Games: Gold medalist Justin Rose, Silver medalist Henrik Stenson, Bronze medalist Matt Kuchar.
• Past Hero World Challenge winners: Tiger Woods (5 wins), Jordan Spieth (2014), Hideki Matsuyama (2016).
• First-time participants Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Tommy Fleetwood, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Justin Thomas.
  Tournament Notes and Records
• In 2014, Jordan Spieth won by a record 10 strokes with a tournament-record 26-under 262, the event’s first wire-towire
  winner.
• Tiger Woods (2006-07) is the only back-to-back winner of the Hero World Challenge.
• The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win eight times (Tom Lehman/1999, Padraig Harrington/2002, Davis Love III/2003, Tiger Woods/2007, Graeme McDowell/2012, Jordan Spieth/2014, Bubba Watson/2015, Hideki Matsuyama/2016).
• Playoffs (2): Graeme McDowell over Tiger Woods (2010), Zach Johnson over Tiger Woods (2013).
• Largest 18-hole lead: 3 (K.J. Choi/2011).
• Largest 36-hole lead: 4 (Tiger Woods/2007 and 2010).
• Largest 54-hole lead: 7 (Jordan Spieth/2014, Hideki Matsuyama/2016).
• In 2016, Henrik Stenson posted his second-consecutive runner-up finish at the Hero World Challenge and his fourth top-5 finish in as many attempts (2nd/2016, 2nd/2015, T5/2007, 4/2006).

Hero World Challenge Past Champions

Hero World Challenge Winners

Title sponsor

• Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (Formerly Hero Honda Motors Ltd.) is the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, based in India.
• In 2001, the company achieved the coveted position of being the largest two-wheeler manufacturing company in India and also, the ‘World No.1’ two-wheeler company in terms of unit volume sales in a calendar year. Hero MotoCorp Ltd. continues to maintain this position today.

History and charitable impact of the Hero World Challenge

• After more than a decade in Southern California, the Hero World Challenge moved to Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida, in 2014 after TGR Live and Tavistock Group joined forces to write a new chapter in the tournament’s history.
• The 2015 Hero World Challenge was the first TGR Live event to be held outside of the United States, and the tournament will return to Albany, Bahamas, in 2017 for a third straight year.
• Attracting the best in golf, business and philanthropy, the Hero World Challenge is a driving force of philanthropic support for the Tiger Woods Foundation, Tavistock Foundation and the Bahamas Youth Foundation.
• The Hero World Challenge has raised nearly $30 million for youth charities to date.