Welcome to Playing Through, your weekly guide to the world of professional golf. I’m Brendon Elliott, PGA Professional, and this week we’re in the heart of December golf—that unique stretch where the game goes global and intimate all at once. While most tours have wrapped their seasons, this week brings us Tiger’s tournament in The Bahamas, a team showdown on the Champions circuit, and a double-header Down Under and in South Africa. It’s the kind of week that reminds us golf never really sleeps.

PGA TOUR: TIGER’S TOURNAMENT RETURNS

The Hero World Challenge

It’s always hard to tell whether the Hero World Challenge is a review or a preview. Playing in Tiger Woods’ tournament in The Bahamas rewards an exemplary season while also serving as a final tune-up just over a month before the 2026 PGA TOUR season begins.

Much of the field has been quiet throughout the fall, using this week to test new swing thoughts, gear and caddies before another marathon season begins. Add in Woods’ presence and his annual press conference, which has become a State of the Union-type media session where the 82-time winner discusses his health and the state of the PGA TOUR, and the Hero World Challenge becomes an intriguing cocktail of storylines.

Scottie’s Testing Ground

Scottie Scheffler has won the Hero World Challenge the last two years, and he’s done it while testing significant changes. Two years ago, the event was his first stroke-play competition working with putting coach Phil Kenyon. Last year, he debuted a claw grip on putts inside 15 feet. Both times he won running away.

This week, Scheffler debuts the new TaylorMade Qi4D driver. The world No. 1 spent months testing the manufacturer’s newest line and is pleased with the results so far.

“Last year I had a little bit of trouble getting into the Qi35 and I feel like we learned a lot throughout that process of what I like to see in a driver, the way it needs to perform for me specifically,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “Going into this year I feel like Adrian [Rietveld] and the whole team at TaylorMade had a really good kind of idea of what my eyes needed to see in order for the driver to be able to work.”

Changing drivers annually has become commonplace on the PGA TOUR, but any time new equipment enters the bag, there’s uncertainty. Scheffler benefits from making the change in the offseason, which should ease concerns about comfort when the 2026 season begins.

Jordan Spieth’s Return

The Hero World Challenge is Jordan Spieth’s first start since his season ended prematurely at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he began the week inside the top 50 but found himself outside the cutoff after 72 holes. Spieth skipped all FedExCup Fall events, dropping from 54th to 61st and one spot out of the Aon Next 10.

The Hero’s positioning is tricky. It offers a glimpse into offseason work, but with more than a month until the TOUR season begins, it’s hard to predict future form based on these results. Still, a good week in the Bahamas would give Spieth positive momentum heading into 2026, which he sorely lacked this time last year while recovering from wrist surgery.

Keegan Bradley’s Catharsis

Keegan Bradley didn’t mince words when discussing the U.S. Ryder Cup loss as captain. “The darkest time of my life, probably,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know how else to describe it. Certainly, definitely of my career.”

Bradley said he’s slowly emerged from that dark state in recent weeks, primarily because he finally had something to take his mind off it. He won “The Skins Game” last week before heading to the Bahamas. If his form there is any indication, the heartbreak hasn’t hindered his golf. Maybe it could fuel it.

The return to competitive golf could be the catharsis Bradley needs. He has goals of making the next Ryder Cup team as a player and hopes for another shot at the captaincy. Both will require good golf, and Bradley is ready to deliver immediately.

Akshay Bhatia’s New Caddie

Joe Greiner, longtime caddie for Max Homa, is looping for Akshay Bhatia at the Hero World Challenge this week, and the duo intends to work together when the 2026 season begins next month.

Greiner and Homa split in April, ending a six-year relationship. Since then, Greiner filled in with Justin Thomas (winning the RBC Heritage together) and had brief stints with Collin Morikawa and Jake Knapp.

The partnership is intriguing as Bhatia’s star ascends. Scottie Scheffler hired Ted Scott and immediately jumped into the upper echelon of TOUR pros. More recently, Joe Skovron joined Ludvig Åberg’s bag, with the Swede quickly working his way into the top five in the world.

This week offers our first glimpse into what their partnership could be. Still only 23 years old, Bhatia might have found the caddie who can help get him there.

The Field and Format

The Hero World Challenge features 20 of the world’s best players competing at Albany Golf Course in The Bahamas. The Ernie Els-designed layout features challenging water hazards and windswept dunes up to 30 feet high, with five par 3s and five par 5s.

Three players are making their debuts: 2025 U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun, 2025 Genesis Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup, and Andrew Novak. Scheffler is one of three past champions in the field alongside Hideki Matsuyama (2016) and Jordan Spieth (2014).

No FedExCup points are awarded, but world-ranking points will be. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday, with coverage on Golf Channel and NBC.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: TEAM COMPETITION RETURNS

The Skechers World Champions Cup

The Skechers World Champions Cup supporting Shriners Children’s returns this week as one of golf’s most unique international team events. Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater, Florida, hosts the three-day competition featuring Team USA, Team Europe and Team International for the first time.

Jim Furyk’s Team USA enters as defending champion following a narrow two-point victory over Team International at The Concession in 2023. Mike Weir captains Team International, while Darren Clarke leads Team Europe.

The Teams and Format

Team USA features Stewart Cink, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard, Steve Stricker, and Jason Caron. Clarke’s European side includes Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez, among others. Weir’s Team International roster includes Steven Alker, K.J. Choi, and Y.E. Yang.

The event uses a distinctive scoring system across three formats: Six Ball (Best Ball), Scotch Sixsomes (Modified Alternate Shot), and Singles. Three points are awarded on each hole of every nine-hole group. The team with the lowest score receives two points, the second-lowest gets one point, and the highest score receives none.

The competition runs Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, with a pro-am Saturday. Coverage airs on ESPN and ESPN+ throughout the week, with ABC broadcasting Sunday’s final round from 1-5 p.m. ET.

DP WORLD TOUR: A GLOBAL DOUBLE-HEADER

The Crown Australian Open

The DP World Tour continues its double header with the Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. After a 20-year absence, the Tour returns to the renowned venue for the fifth time. This is the 17th time the men’s Crown Australian Open has been held here and the first since 1991. Players will compete over the Composite Course, which hosted the Presidents Cup in 2019.

Rory Ends Dream Year Down Under

2025 will forever be the year Rory McIlroy fulfilled his childhood dream, winning all four Major Championships. At his 17th attempt, he won the Masters to become just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam and first since Tiger Woods in 2020. He also won THE PLAYERS Championship and captured the Harry Vardon Trophy for a seventh time.

Now, the five-time Major champion makes the first of a two-year commitment to play at the Crown Australian Open. The last time the 36-year-old appeared at the national open was in 2014, the year after he beat Adam Scott by one stroke.

Inside the Field and Major Spots

McIlroy headlines the field, but Major champions Adam Scott, Cam Smith, and Geoff Ogilvy also compete. Min Woo Lee draws strong support, while Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier will look to impress. International players include Si Woo Kim, Carlos Ortiz, and Ryo Hisatsune. Past champions Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer are teeing it up.

Following new exemption criteria from Augusta National, the Australian Open is one of six national opens where the winner earns a Masters spot in 2026. The tournament is also part of The Open Qualifying Series, with the top three finishers not already exempt securing spots at Royal Birkdale next summer.

Last year, American rookie Ryygs Johnston claimed a three-stroke victory at Kingston Heath Golf Club. Named after Mel Gibson’s Lethal Weapon character, the then world No. 954 emerged from a pack of home hopes to claim the Stonehaven Cup with a nerveless final-round 68. Johnston has opted not to defend his title, instead playing this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge in Honour of Gary Player

Simultaneously, the DP World Tour makes its first visit to South Africa this season for the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.

Last season, Johannes Veerman capped a dream debut as he beat South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter, England’s Matthew Jordan, and France’s Romain Langasque by a stroke. A final round of 69 saw him overturn a five-shot deficit to claim his second DP World Tour title. The 33-year-old aims to become the eighth player in tournament history, and only the second American after Jim Furyk, to successfully defend his title.

First staged in 1981 as the Million Dollar Challenge, the event has featured on the DP World Tour schedule since 2014. Gary Player Country Club has hosted throughout, and the tournament now boasts a $6 million prize fund.

Hovland Makes Sun City Debut

Viktor Hovland headlines a strong international field, with the European Ryder Cup star set for his debut on South African soil. Canada’s Nick Taylor, a five-time PGA TOUR winner, also makes his first trip to Sun City. England’s Marco Penge, who finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy in last season’s Race to Dubai Rankings, makes his second start of the Opening Swing. Of the 66 players in the field, 58 have won on the DP World Tour.

Home Favourites and Welcome Returns

Over 44 years, six South Africans have won the Nedbank Golf Challenge. This week, 13 home hopes compete, led by five-time DP World Tour winner Thriston Lawrence. PGA TOUR winner Aldrich Potgieter and tournament invitees Garrick Higgo and Christiaan Bezuidenhout also represent the home challenge.

Two players make long-awaited returns to competitive action. Paul Waring, 40, hasn’t played since retiring injured from the Genesis Scottish Open in July. Will Zalatoris returns for the first time since the US PGA Championship in May after undergoing back surgery for re-herniated discs. Before missing eight months after a microdiscectomy in spring 2023, Zalatoris finished in the top 10 in six of nine Majors from 2020-22.

As December unfolds, professional golf reminds us why this game transcends seasons and borders. From the Bahamas to Florida to Australia to South Africa, the world’s best are competing, testing, and preparing for what’s to come. Some are chasing redemption. Others are building momentum. A few are simply trying to stay sharp.

But they’re all playing through. And that’s what makes this time of year special. The game continues, even as the calendar winds down. Major spots are on the line. Team pride is at stake. New partnerships are forming. Veterans are returning from injury.

This is the bridge to 2026, and it’s being built one shot at a time.

Welcome to December golf. Let’s play through.