By Rahul Banerji
Austria’s Sepp Straka was a last-minute replacement for tournament host Tiger Woods ahead of the Hero World Challenge which tees off at Albany in the Bahamas on Thursday.
The 29th-ranked Straka stepped in when it became clear that Woods would not be able to last the four days of the Albany event which he has hosted since 2000, initially in the US and thereafter in the Bahamas.
Just about a day after he was confirmed as part of the by-invite 20-strong field, Woods said he was withdrawing from the field with continued pain in an injured foot.
Tiger was to play seven rounds over the next 18 days including an exhibition tie on December 10 and the PNC Championship immediately thereafter following the Albany event. That will now not be the case.
Tough to walk
In a statement on his Twitter handle, Tiger said, “In preparation and practice for this week’s Hero World Challenge, I’ve developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot, which is making it difficult to walk.
“After consulting with my doctors and trainers, I have decided to withdraw this week and focus on my hosting duties. My plan is still to compete in The Match and the PNC Championship,” the tweet said.
There was no further update on his condition
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes.
Confirmed field
The event website said under the caption “2022 field”: “Tournament host Tiger Woods headlines the field for the 2022 Hero World Challenge, set to return to Albany, Bahamas, November 28 – December 4.
“The 2022 Hero World Challenge field features defending champion Viktor Hovland along with six players making their tournament debuts. Cameron Young, Sungjae Im, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry and Corey Conners will all tee it up at Albany for the first time.
“Since moving to Albany in 2015, only Jon Rahm (2018) and Hovland (2021) have won the event in their tournament debut.”
Clearly therefore, Tiger’s recovery from the February car crash that almost ended his career has not been as complete as hoped. He last played in the second round of The Open at St Andrews and missed the cut.
Tiger said earlier in the month that he was looking forward to playing alongside his son Charlie at the the PNC Championship a year after they finished second by a shot to the Daly father-son combine.
That 36-hole scramble will be played at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club in Orlando on December 17 and 18.
In a statement on the event website, Tiger said, “We have been looking forward to this week all year and we can’t wait to team up together for our third PNC Championship.
“This is such a special opportunity as a dad to get to compete with my son against so many golfing greats and their family members. It is going to be a very special week and I know that Charlie and I will have a blast.”
Albany day one pairings
Cameron Young and Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim (11 am)
Billy Horschel and Sungjae Im (11.11 am)
Kevin Kisner and Sam Burns (11.22 am)
Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood (11.33 am)
Corey Connors and Shane Lowry (11.44 am)
Max Homa and Tony Finau (11.55 am)
Sepp Straka and Justin Thomas (12.06 pm)
Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm (12.17 pm)
Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Speith (12.28 pm)
Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland (12.30 pm)
Also read: Tiger lines up busy comeback schedule starting with HWC