Hero World Challenge power rankings: Top ten at Albany

The PGA TOUR wraps up the 2017 calendar with the Hero World Challenge. Who will top the Power Rankings for the season-ending exhibition?

The PGA TOUR brings 2017 to a close with the Hero World Challenge this week. The 18-player field is always loaded with some of the game’s finest players, but don’t let the “unofficial” title fool you. Every player in this week’s field will be playing to win, thanks especially to the quality of the players here.

Oh, and you may have heard by now, there’s a certain red-clad feline roaming inside the ropes again this week. Tiger Woods is making his latest return to competition, and while he may not top this week’s rankings, his presence alone ups the ante at Albany.

Ranking the top ten players in such a limited field presents its own set of challenges, but that’s just what we’ve done here today. The list of accomplishments in this field from 2017 alone is as sparkling as the blue waters of the Southwest Bay. And with three of the year’s four major winners, along with seven of the top ten players in the Official World Ranking teeing it up, the competition will be fierce.

To get it out of the way early: Tiger narrowly missed this week’s rankings, and the reasoning is simple. He just hasn’t played enough. I believe he’s more than capable of winning, I just need to see him play four rounds without aggravating his back or knees before I’m comfortable putting him back on these lists. If he does that this week, expect to see plenty of him in the year to come. Patience, everybody – including you, Tiger.

With no further ado, let’s jump into the final Power Rankings of 2017.