The 2024 Hero World Challenge begins in just a few hours. As it turns out, Tiger Woods will not be a part of the field this year. He went through his latest back surgery in September, and while was meant to come back for the event in Albany, the 82X PGA Tour has decided to recover fully first, and then get back on the course.
However, without him too, just like all the other editions, the elite event features some of the top twenty players. And it is needless to say, after the lucrative year he has had, Scottie Scheffler is the top ranked player in the field this weekend.
While for a lot of players, money might be a primary reason to play golf, for the World No. 1 that is not just it.
Scottie Scheffler said he wants to win even for zero dollars
Scottie Scheffler has had one of the best seasons of his career this year. He appeared in nineteen events, winning seven of them, and finishing in the top – 10 in a whopping sixteen of them. Additionally, he also won the Gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
So needless to say that the American has been in his game the entire year. But for him, his love for golf comes above money. At the Hero World Challenge Press Conference on Tuesday c when asked about how much the win meant to him, he said:
“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t play golf for money. I’ve been playing golf my whole life for free. And the money’s just a bonus. And so if somebody wants to pay us to come out here and play golf, then that’s great. I’m not gonna say no to it. I’m gonna do the best I can in my community to steward that money well.”
Scheffler has already bagged $29,228,357 this year. He will be entering the field as the defending champion, winning for two consecutive years, and he wishes to do it a third time. Taking to this, he also added:
“And I wanna win just as bad for zero dollars as I do for whatever millions of dollars it is. The money’s not my motivation. And so I don’t, it’s not something I think about. It’s just a bonus that happens when you’re out here playing tournaments. It’s a very nice thing to have.”
Do you think the 28 YO will be able to clinch yet another trophy at the Bahamas on Sunday? Stay tuned to find out!
