Matthieu Pavon’s latest validation came as an invitation from Tiger Woods. The 15-time major champion unveiled the first 17 players in the 20-man Hero World Challenge. Pavon, the 2024 Farmers Insurance winner, is ‘glad’ to have received a second chance after he skipped Woods’s signature event early this year.
Pavon became the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour since World War I. As a winner, the 31-year-old became eligible for all the remaining Signature events, including the Tiger Woods-hosted one at Riviera, the Genesis Invitational. But he skipped the $20M purse tournament to ‘recharge his battery’.
“My putting coach (Jon Karlsen) is coming to see me next week. This is why I also withdrew from Genesis. I want to have a full week with my family, recharge the batteries, benefit from 15 days to be able to train both physically and technically,” Pavon said at that time. Notably, he also skipped the WM Phoenix Open.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, played as a host but had to exit without completing the second round due to ‘flu-like symptoms’. It later turned out to be influenza. Woods also underwent his sixth back surgery last month. So, it’s unclear if Woods will tee off in the Bahamas this December, but more on that later.
Meanwhile, Matthieu Pavon is already cherishing the opportunity he missed earlier. “I think I will have enough great tournaments to play this year, and even more next year,” said the French golfer and he does. In a short tweet, the one-time PGA Tour winner wrote, “Great news this morning! Glad to be part of the 2024 Hero World Challenge [Tiger emoji] in Albany, Bahamas. I can’t wait!”
Pavon has four top-tens this season. But, overall, the Frenchman had a roller-coaster ride. In his last ten appearances across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, the 31-year-old has broken inside the top 20 only once.
Yet, Matthieu Pavon has clearly been on Woods’s radar, likely because of his T5 at the US Open and the T12 at the Masters. The larger question is, while he gets the chance to tee up at Woods’s events, will he get to play with the host himself?
Why Tiger Woods might tee up at AlbanyThe initial list of 17 players doesn’t include Tiger Woods’s name. The loaded field is led by Scottie Scheffler, followed by four of his peers from the world’s top ten. Although Woods is not listed now, there are three spots open for the 20-man field. Moreover, last year, too, Tiger Woods kept one spot open, which he later filled himself.
Actually, the former world no. 1 has chosen the Hero World Challenge as his stage for return several times. Be it 2017, 2016, or 2014, Tiger Woods made a comeback after an injury in the event he hosted. So, it won’t be another surprise if he walks the same path this time too. The Hero World Challenger tees off on December 5 in Woods’s Albany resort.
