Fans might see Tiger Woods only once a month this season, but his work behind the scenes shaping golf's future will be front and center.
Two-time American Express champion Jon Rahm wasn't among the early commitments for next month's event, as rumors continue to circle that the world No. 3 will leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Rahm has not commented on his future in recent weeks.
Golfers wore tiny ShotLink-enabled clips on the back of their belts in the Bahamas, as the PGA Tour began gathering data at events outside the United States.
Tiger Woods climbed to 898th in the Official World Golf Ranking -- his highest since before withdrawing from the 2022 PGA Championship -- even though the Hero World Challenge had just 20 players and no cut.
Scottie Scheffler, a runner-up the last two years, closed with a 4-under 68 for a 3-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge on Sunday in the Bahamas, while Tiger Woods closed with a 72 and finished 18th.
Dean Burmester made two birdies over the final three holes to pull away from the field and win the South African Open by 3 strokes, securing back-to-back titles on the DP World Tour.
Joaquin Niemann became the first Chilean winner in 119 years of the Australian Open and earned a spot in next year's Open Championship. Ashleigh Buhai retained her title in the women's event with a 1-shot victory.
Scottie Scheffler made two eagles in his round of 7-under 65 that gave him a three-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick at the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods settled for a 71 that left him 16 shots behind.
Min Woo Lee and Rikuya Hoshino share the men's lead heading into the final round at the Australia Open. Ashleigh Buhai leads the women's field by three shots.
Tiger Woods, who joined the PGA Tour's policy board in August, says "hypothetically," he would be surprised if rumors of several big-name players, including Jon Rahm, signing with LIV Golf prove to be true.
Another struggle on the closing stretch left Tiger Woods 10 shots behind co-leaders Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth at the Hero World Challenge.
Woods, a five-time Hero World Challenge winner, hasn't played in the tournament since 2019.
