It’s that time of year again as 20 of the world’s best gather in the Caribbean for Tiger Woods’ end-of-year shindig. Here’s everything you need to know, including Hero World Challenge betting tips…
There will be no Tiger Woods in the field for the 2025 Hero World Challenge – but we already knew that, didn’t we? After all, he did undergo yet more surgery just a couple of months back.
So who is teeing up?
As is always the case with Woods’ hit-and-giggle in the Bahamas, the top 17 players in the world are invited, with the world rankings determining who replaces anyone who decides not to play. Then Woods allows himself three exemptions as tournament host – usually to see if he is fit enough to take part. This year, Jordan Spieth, Billy Horschel and Akshay Bhatia were the lucky invitees.
Invites for the 20-man Hero World Challenge field are first sent to the top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and then extended beyond that depending on who accepts.
This year, just 11 of the top 20 will play, with notable absentees including Rory McIlroy (2), Russell Henley (4), Tommy Fleetwood (7) and Collin Morikawa (8).
Double defending champion Scheffler is looking to become just the second player, after Woods, to win the Hero World Challenge more than twice. The World No.1 can also become the first player to win it three times in a row.
2025 Hero World Challenge key details
Dates: December 4-7, 2025
Course: Albany, Bahamas
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Purse: $5,000,000
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler (-25)
2025 Hero World Challenge field
Here are the 20 players teeing up in Tiger’s event and their current world ranking:
Scottie Scheffler (1)
JJ Spaun (6)
Robert MacIntyre (7)
Justin Rose (10)
Harris English (11)
Keegan Bradley (14)
Sepp Straka (15)
Alex Noren (17)
Cameron Young (18)
Hideki Matsuyama (20)
Aaron Rai (23)
Sam Burns (27)
Chris Gotterup (28)
Corey Conners (29)
Andrew Novak (31)
Brian Harman (33)
Wyndham Clark (39)
Akshay Bhatia (43)
Billy Horschel (45)
Jordan Spieth (70)
2025 Hero World Challenge tee times
Tee times and the Hero World Challenge leaderboard can be found on the official tournament website.
2025 Hero World Challenge TV schedule
US viewers can catch all the action on the Golf Channel.
All times ET
Thursday December 4: Golf Channel and NBC Sports app from 1.30pm
Friday December 5: Golf Channel and NBC Sports app from 1.30pm
Saturday December 6: Golf Channel and NBC Sports app from 12pm
Sunday December 7: Golf Channel and NBC Sports app from 11.30am
Viewers in the UK can watch the Hero World Challenge on Sky Sports.
All times GMT
Thursday December 4: Sky Sports Golf from 6.30pm
Friday December 5: Sky Sports Golf from 6.30pm
Saturday December 6: Sky Sports Golf from 5pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 8.30pm
Sunday December 7: Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm
2025 Hero World Challenge betting tips
The Banker: Robert MacIntyre
12/1 e/w (Bet365 3 Places 1/5 Odds)
It’s a weak Hero World Challenge this year, with less OWGR up for grabs this time around surely a factor. That means that outside of Scottie Scheffler, who has finished 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st here, the event looks wide open.
I can’t back Scheffler at 7/4, although if I ever have been tempted to back a very short-priced favourite, it’s in this event, where his course form looks so imperious and he comes into the event, having won last time out as an individual. Sure, he’s had the disappointment of the Ryder Cup to contend with, but he does look as strong as ever in regular events, so it’s going to take someone special to take him on. Step forward, Robert MacIntyre.
MacIntyre’s game has certainly reached new heights since his move to the PGA Tour, so while the man from Oban, Scotland was certainly on the fence about life in America, he’s absolutely thrived since the move.
Since winning the Ryder Cup again, MacIntyre has played three times, picking up a win, and finishing inside the top 10 in two subsequent starts. His win came back on the DP World Tour at the Alfred Dunhill Links, and he’s since finished 9th and 8th in the two closing DP World Tour events in the Middle East.
Now he returns to the Hero World Challenge, where he finished 7th on debut last year, and he will look to kick on from that and win in what feels like a weaker field this time around.
MacIntyre was the player Scheffler had to leapfrog to win the BMW Championship, and the Scotsman should really have won that week. He was leading by as many as five shots at halfway and still by four going into the final round. A final round 73 cost him there and let the World No.1 in, but will he get his vengeance here? I think he’s reasonably priced to do so when taking the 3 places route on bet365.
The Outsider: JJ Spaun
25/1 e/w (Bet365 3 Places 1/5 Odds)
J.J Spaun is the 6th best player in the world according to the Official World Golf Rankings, and the often-cited Data Golf, who adjusts their rankings, for multiple things, including the LIV players, also has him ranked 9th. Despite this, and his form, which saw him finish 11th last time out in Mexico and 6th at the Procore Championship, Spaun is still some way down the betting order.
Sure, he’s only around 18/1 with most bookmakers, with us taking less places to secure the 25/1 odds, but context is important. It’s not so much his odds, as the fact he’s behind the likes of Sam Burns, Keegan Bradley, and Hideki Matsuyama in the betting.
Again, there’s nothing to say Burns, Bradley, or Matsuyama can’t win, but I do find it at least interesting he’s priced behind them. Bradley finished 5th last year, but has finished 13th and 15th in this limited field on two other visits, Matsuyama has only played here twice since winning in 2016, one time finishing dead-last in 18th, while Burns has finished 12th, 16th, and 14th on his last three visits. Outside of starts in Korea and Japan, Matsuyama is still struggling. Bradley hasn’t played since he was the losing captain in the Ryder Cup and while Burns is in form and has finished 3rd here in the past, I don’t think he’s playing all that much better than Spaun, who kicked off the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a playoff loss to Justin Rose, and has played well since.
This is a long way of saying that I think Spaun is overpriced, especially as I don’t think a lack of course experience is a handicap. I think he will be fine here on first visit, and given he’s in form and playing a far weaker renewal than typically expected in this event, I think he’s worth chancing at what I consider generous odds at 25/1.
