Scottie’s threepeat attempt headlines the most drama-packed silly season kickoff in years.

The Hero World Challenge exists in this perfect sweet spot between vacation and validation. Twenty of the world’s best golfers head to Tiger Woods’ private tournament in the Bahamas, playing for world ranking points but no FedEx Cup significance, competing for a million dollars while knowing the real prize is momentum heading into 2026.

This year’s edition, running December 4-7 at Albany Golf Club, feels loaded with storylines. Tiger’s sitting out again after back surgery, which means the spotlight shifts entirely to the players. And they’re bringing everything—threepeat attempts, comeback narratives, fresh faces with major hardware, and a Ryder Cup captain still processing the weight of September’s loss.

Scottie’s Threepeat Bid (And Another Experiment)

Scottie Scheffler has won this tournament the last two years and scored 25-under 263 last year, tying the course tournament record with a six-stroke margin of victory. Now he’s back to become just the third player after Tiger and Viktor Hovland to win consecutive Hero titles.

The world No. 1 took some time off after the Ryder Cup defeat, which means this is his first competitive action since September. He’s still the overwhelming favorite at +140 odds, partly because one of his biggest rivals—Rory McIlroy—is playing the Australian Open this week instead. Scheffler’s dominance at Albany is ridiculous: he’s averaged 67.25 per round over 16 competitive rounds there. When you’re that comfortable somewhere, taking a few months off doesn’t feel like rust. It feels like rested and dangerous.

The Fresh Major Champion Debuts

Three players are making their Hero World Challenge debuts: 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, 2025 Genesis Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, and Andrew Novak. Spaun’s inclusion is particularly compelling—he’s coming off a U.S. Open breakthrough victory and has been on an absolute heater since missing the cut at the Scottish Open, posting a playoff runner-up finish and consistently strong results throughout the fall.

These debut appearances matter because the Hero has historically been a place where new names announce themselves. Eight players are making their tournament debut this year, and Albany’s unique desert-links style with five par 3s and five par 5s rewards aggressive play rather than conservative golf. Fresh blood with major championship confidence can be a dangerous combination.

Keegan’s Return After “Darkest Time”

Keegan Bradley led Team USA to a Ryder Cup defeat at Bethpage Black in September, falling 15-13 to Team Europe after the U.S. trailed 11½-4½ heading into singles. Bradley accepted blame for the loss, particularly the course setup decisions that seemed to favor Europe more than his own team.

Now he’s back to just being a player again, at least for this week. The Hero offers Bradley his first real chance to process that Ryder Cup heartbreak through competition rather than reflection. He chose not to pick himself for the team despite playing well enough to deserve it, making the ultimate selfless decision that still resulted in defeat. Golf can be a lonely mental game when you’re carrying that kind of weight, but it can also be therapeutic. Bradley’s got four rounds in paradise to remember why he loves this game in the first place.

Jordan’s Bounce-Back Begins

Jordan Spieth returns to competitive golf for the first time in months, paired with Scheffler in the final group for Thursday’s opening round. The three-time major champion is one of three past winners in the field, having captured the 2014 title. The field features eight golfers who have combined to win 13 major championships.

Spieth’s been quiet lately, which usually means he’s been working on something. The Hero offers him a stage to show progress without the pressure of FedEx Cup points or official money. It’s the perfect laboratory for testing whether the work has translated into results—and if it has, the comeback narrative shifts significantly heading into 2026.

The Field That Brings Everything

Eight 2025 Ryder Cup participants are in the field, including Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka from the victorious European Team, plus Team USA captain Keegan Bradley and Team Europe vice captain Alex Noren. Billy Horschel returns after hip surgery. Hideki Matsuyama—the 2016 Hero champion—brings his elite ball-striking. Sam Burns brings Tour-best putting. Wyndham Clark, Harris English, Corey Conners, and Aaron Rai round out a field that represents seven different countries.

And somewhere in the background, Tiger will hold court at his annual press conference, discussing his recovery from disc replacement surgery and the state of professional golf while everyone else competes on his home course. It’s December golf that actually matters—because in a 20-man field with no cut, everyone’s got four days to either build confidence or figure out what’s missing. And with a $5 million purse and world ranking points on the line, it’s hardly just a vacation.