(Reuters) – Tournament host Tiger Woods was not listed in the initial player field released on Tuesday for the Dec. 5-8 Hero World Challenge in Albany, Bahamas but could still be added as one of the three exemption spots.
The 15-times major champion, who has not competed since he missed the British Open cut in July, had microdecompression surgery for nerve impingement on his lower back in September and has not offered an update on his recovery.
In five events this year the 48-year-old Woods dropped out of February’s Genesis Invitational, another event he hosts, due to illness, finished 60th at the Masters and missed the cut at the next three majors.
After missing the British Open cut, Woods said he would take a break and did not plan to play an official tournament the rest of the year and would instead target the Hero World Challenge, which is a limited-field, unofficial event.
At last year’s Hero World Challenge, in what was his first tournament in nearly eight months after recovering from ankle surgery, Woods finished 18th.
So far, world number one Scottie Scheffler, 2016 champion Hideki Matsuyama and 2025 Team USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley are among the 17 players who have officially committed for the Hero World Challenge’s 20-man field.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
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