The field for the annual Hero World Challenge is packed. From December 4 to 7, we’ve got some of the best 20 players coming in. It includes Scottie Scheffler, trying to win his third title in a row. The likes of Justin Rose, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, & others will try to stop him from doing so. The tournament also had three sponsor invites, which Jordan Spieth, Billy Horschel, and Akshay Bhatia got. Seeing Spieth’s name out there, and not Rickie Fowler’s, was not something many expected. But now we know the reason for this move.

Sports Illustrated writer Bob Harig wrote, “A lot of angst over this but Fowler wasn’t eligible. The three sponsor invites Spieth, Horschel and Bhatia all Top 50 OWGR when qualification period ended after Tour Champ. The rest of the field determined by major winners and going down OWGR list to invite.” Bhatia was ranked 35th, Horschel 36th, and Spieth 50th after the TOUR Championship.

As it turns out, even the Hero World Challenge has an exemption qualification criterion. And after the horrendous season he had, Fowler didn’t meet the requirements to receive an exemption. The 36-year-old is currently ranked the world’s #80 player. In fact, the last time he was in the top 50 was way back in the Travelers Championship week last year, in June 2024. By this criterion, Jordan Spieth, Billy Horschel, and Akshay Bhatia all finished inside the top 50 at the conclusion of the TOUR Championship.

Rickie won’t be in Albany, but this doesn’t mean he’ll be completely inactive during December this year. He hasn’t been seen on the field since the conclusion of the 2025 BMW Championship back in August, but as the Grant Thornton Invitational approached, many would have thought he would have teamed up with Lexi Thompson. However, as his sponsorship with Grant Thornton ended this year, he won’t be appearing in the mixed event as well. Hence, the only realistic possibility of watching Rickie Fowler play again might be in TGL. He and the rest of the New York Golf Club will face Justin Thomas‘ Atlanta Drive GC on December 29, 2025, to kick off the second season.

Interestingly, Fowler is not the only surprising name missing from the field in The Bahamas. Fans were even more disappointed about another golfer being unable to make the trip for the Hero World Challenge 2025.

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Who else will not be playing the 2025 Hero World Challenge apart from Rickie Fowler?

Fans would certainly be quite disappointed regarding Rickie Fowler not making the field for the 2025 Hero World Challenge. However, they were already distraught a few days ago when they learned that another big name was not going to be a part of the event. The tournament host, Tiger Woods, will also not be at Albany to compete with Scottie Scheffler & Co.

After his 7th lower back surgery, Woods will be busy recovering for the next few months. Hence, he won’t be fit enough to play in a competitive tournament until the first quarter of 2026. This came as a huge disappointment for the fans, as they were hoping for the big cat to make his return to the course in the Hero World Challenge like he usually does. With no Rickie Fowler & Tiger Woods on the field, the tournament will certainly miss a chunk of their die-hard supporters.