Billy Horschel is one of three players to receive a sponsor’s exemption into the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December
Tiger Woods is helping out Billy Horschel with a spot in the upcoming Hero World Challenge(Image: Carmen Mandato/TGL, TGL via Getty Images)
Billy Horschel enjoyed a remarkable conclusion to last year’s campaign, finally claiming victory on the PGA Tour for the first time in nearly two years at the Corales Puntacana Championship — and now Tiger Woods is extending him one of the final invitations to his tournament in the Bahamas.
Horschel joins Jordan Spieth and Akshay Bhatia as the trio receiving one of the remaining invites to the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this December. Horschel has experienced a turbulent career trajectory and went on to compete in an exciting playoff at the BMW PGA Championship following his Puntacana triumph, ultimately prevailing over Rory McIlroy.
Horschel subsequently began experiencing discomfort in his hip and required surgery in May 2025 as a precautionary step, only making his comeback in September at the BMW PGA Championship, which Horschel captured in 2021 and 2024.
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However, he mentioned he genuinely thought 2025 was destined to be the year he claimed a major championship.
“I felt this was going to be the year I get over the hump and make the Ryder Cup team, win a major, check some things off of my career goals,” Horschel said.
Horschel missed much of 2025 after hip surgery(Image: Getty Images)
“And I wasn’t playing bad but look back and swing-wise, it was a little bit of a struggle and I didn’t know why. And the Monday after Hilton Head I woke up with a sudden pain in my hip that I had never felt before.”
Currently, Horschel is assuming a position in place of Woods at his own tournament. The 20-player lineup will feature five of the world’s top-10 players.
Horschel will be in the Hero, but Woods will sit as he recovers from multiple surgeries(Image: Stan Badz, PGA TOURvia Getty Images)
Scheffler is one of only three previous champions participating in the 2025 tournament, alongside 2016 champion Hideki Matsuyama and Spieth.
Nine Ryder Cup participants will also be present in the Bahamas, including European champions like Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, and Sepp Straka. Team USA’s captain, Keegan Bradley, will also be competing.
Several individuals are making their first appearance at the Hero World Challenge, such as J.J. Spaun, Chris Gotterup, and Andrew Novak, but this isn’t Horschel’s inaugural run at the tournament.
Horschel has participated in 14 tournaments on the Tour this season and has secured two top-10 finishes. He also competed at the Bank of Utah last week, finishing at T-11, and aims to clinch the top spot at Woods’ tournament in December.
