This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
The much-anticipated return of Tiger Woods is finally upon us this week at the 18-man Hero World Challenge, the event he hosts in the Bahamas. While the spotlight will be on Woods to begin the week, it figures to be pointed elsewhere by the end of the weekend as the 40-year-old legend will face a tough challenge against some of the world's best players. After months of international tournaments separated the top golfers by thousands of miles, we will finally be able to see a pool of concentrated talent in one location. In this week's Barometer we will take a look at who is trending as December approaches.
VALUE RISING
Jordan Spieth
Spieth's second Australian Open win in the last three years, which he picked up a little over a week ago by defeating Australia's own Ashley Hall and Cameron Smith in a three-man playoff, is just what the 23-year-old needed to jump-start his 2016-17 campaign. Last time Spieth took home the title in Australia in 2014, he went on to win the Masters and U.S. Open and finished inside the top five at the other two majors, so this may be a sign of things to come. It will not be easy to replicate such success by any means in 2017 with plenty of rising talent around him, but Spieth has positioned himself for a run in the coming months. He will be in the field for this week's Hero World Challenge, where he finished in solo fourth place
The much-anticipated return of Tiger Woods is finally upon us this week at the 18-man Hero World Challenge, the event he hosts in the Bahamas. While the spotlight will be on Woods to begin the week, it figures to be pointed elsewhere by the end of the weekend as the 40-year-old legend will face a tough challenge against some of the world's best players. After months of international tournaments separated the top golfers by thousands of miles, we will finally be able to see a pool of concentrated talent in one location. In this week's Barometer we will take a look at who is trending as December approaches.
VALUE RISING
Jordan Spieth
Spieth's second Australian Open win in the last three years, which he picked up a little over a week ago by defeating Australia's own Ashley Hall and Cameron Smith in a three-man playoff, is just what the 23-year-old needed to jump-start his 2016-17 campaign. Last time Spieth took home the title in Australia in 2014, he went on to win the Masters and U.S. Open and finished inside the top five at the other two majors, so this may be a sign of things to come. It will not be easy to replicate such success by any means in 2017 with plenty of rising talent around him, but Spieth has positioned himself for a run in the coming months. He will be in the field for this week's Hero World Challenge, where he finished in solo fourth place last year.
Rickie Fowler
Having missed the cut at the Masters, the PLAYERS, and U.S. Open earlier in 2016 before disappointing throughout the latter portion of the FedExCup Playoffs, it's clear that Fowler was off his game for quite some time. However, the soon-to-be 28-year-old is back on the upswing. Paired with fellow American Jimmy Walker in his most recent event at the World Cup of Golf this past weekend, the U.S. duo went on to tie for second, finishing four strokes behind Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen, who combined to shoot 20-under in the team format. Fowler also finished inside the top-10 in his previous start with a T6 result at the WGC-HSBC Champions event, which contained the strongest field of the fall. He could have competed for the title if it were not for a second-round 73, which kept him out of contention behind Hideki Matsuyama, who won by a whopping seven strokes. Fowler now heads to the Hero World Challenge, where he fired an eight-under 64 in last year's final round to finish alone in third.
Emiliano Grillo
Despite owning just one career win, Grillo has somewhat quietly snuck into the top-25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. At just 24 years old, his victory total is no disappointment, and his recent consistency is a more important feat that deserves recognition. Since his second-place finish at the Japan Tour's ISPS HANDA Global Cup in late June, Grillo has racked up 11 top-25 results in 15 worldwide events, including five top-20s over his last six tournaments. That resume over the past five months is tough to beat, and Grillo's solid ball striking makes him a near-lock to survive cuts on a regular basis. The Hero World Challenge also awaits Grillo, which is slated to be his biggest test of the 2016-17 season thus far.
VALUE FALLING
J.B. Holmes
Holmes has fallen outside the top-25 in the OWGR after reaching as high as No. 16 following his third-place finish at the Open Championship back in July. Three missed cuts on the heels of that performance, to go along with just one top-25 finish over his past five events, have been the route of Holmes' descent. Having finished first on Tour in driving distance in the 2015-16 season, his ability to bomb one off the tee will serve him well this week at the lengthy Hero World Challenge venue and could help him get back on track. After finishing T8 at the event last year, this could be what he needs to restore confidence in his game heading into the 2017 calendar year.
Danny Willett
Willett appeared in the "Injury Update" portion of this article in recent weeks due to a minor back injury, but the issue can no longer be viewed as an excuse while he continues to disappoint since winning the Masters back in April. The Englishman has finished no better than T50 in four of his last five events, dating back to a missed cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in early October. Fantasy players should proceed cautiously with Willett, especially given his schedule, which heavily favors events on the European Tour.
Zach Johnson
If Hero World Challenge trivia existed for this week's 18-player tournament, it might be beneficial to know that Johnson is the lowest-ranked golfer in the field in the OWGR other than Tiger (of course). In the late stages of 2015, Johnson rose as high as No. 10, but he now resides in the No. 38 spot after failing to post a single top-30 finish in any of his last seven events. He did not even post a top-40 result throughout the entire FedExCup Playoffs, and missed the cut at the RSM Classic in his most recent start. Johnson continues to lack distance off the tee, so he will face an uphill battle this week.
INJURY UPDATE
Tiger Woods (back)
As was mentioned in the introduction, Woods is finally at peace with his golf game, at least enough to return from a 15-month absence at this week's Hero World Challenge. Pessimistic speculations may predict the lengthier venue to force Woods into overswinging off the tee, which in turn could result in him aggravating his injury. However, videos of his swing during practice rounds this week have already surfaced, and things appear to be flowing quite smoothly. Woods is one of golf's all-time greatest treasures, so for old times' sake, hopefully he can once again find his groove and put on a show this week in the Bahamas.
Justin Rose (back)
Just like Woods, Rose has also dealt with a nagging back issue, albeit on a much lesser level. He has only been sidelined since the beginning of September, but it could still take a few rounds in a tournament setting for Rose to become comfortable and confident in his back. The 15th-ranked player in the world put up a disappointing performance during last year's Hero World Challenge until breaking the course record with a 10-under 62 in his final round, but he still failed to finish inside the top 10. Rose currently resides in the Bahamas, giving him home-field advantage this week at Albany Golf Club, but expectations should be tempered as he returns from the back injury.
