Scottie Scheffler will try to defend his title because the World No. 1 leads the cost together with 19 different elite golfers from eight nationalities when the Hero World Problem will get underway on the Albany course for the ninth straight time on Thursday.
Aside from two-time Masters champion Scheffler, who has seven PGA Tour titles along with the Olympic gold in Paris this yr, the sphere has 5 different Main winners in Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas, and Jason Day desirous to seize their maiden crown on the twenty fifth version of this invitational occasion hosted by five-time champion Tiger Woods.
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Nick Dunlap, the primary participant in historical past to win on the Tour as an newbie and an expert in the identical season, is among the many eight first-timers followers will look out for to tackle the seasoned professionals on the gorgeous Ernie Els-designed 7,449 yards, Par 72 course.
The 20-year-old is one in every of three gamers who has accepted sponsor exemptions to the Problem, the opposite two being final yr’s runner-up Sepp Straka and former PGA champion Day.
For the primary time, the roster additionally features a trio of Indian-origin gamers – Sahith Theegala, Aaron Rai, and Akshay Bhatia – including variety to a mixture in pursuit of the massive prize of $1 million and the beautiful trophy that includes a tiger!
In the meantime, on Tuesday, Englishman Rai, who claimed his first Tour title on the 2024 Wyndham Championship, kicked off the Problem by successful the ‘Hero Shot at Albany’ championship forward of Dunlap, Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre, two-time Main winner Justin Thomas, and Day in entrance of Woods and the Hero MotoCorp chairman Pawan Munjal.
Going by the weatherman’s forecast for the following 4 days, followers can get pleasure from some intense play underneath clear blue skies and beneficial wind situations.
(The author is in Nassau on the invitation of Hero MotoCorp)