The purse this week is $ 3.5 million and the winner gets $1 million.

Coming on top of two very good years, in 2018 and 2019, during which he won three times, including once at a Major, the expectations have grown. He will also be wearing two hats next week as the playing captain at the President’s Cup in Melbourne.

Woods, a five-time winner at Hero World Challenge, last won it in 2011, will be looking to closing the year with a third win, after the Masters and the Zozo Championships.

A day earlier, Woods had said, “Interestingly, when I have done well here (HWCV) it has acted like a springboard to my following season. Usually I have started on the west coast at Torey Pines. Successes at this event have kind of mirrored what I have done at Torey on west coast. This event really has been a kind of a springboard for me. Unfortunately, ‘16 wasn’t very good, I built on ‘17 and then ‘18 and now ’19. It's incredible what it was, when you look back, and what I went through. And here I am now in front of you, as the Masters champion.”

Defending champion Jon Rahm, the highest ranked player in the field this week at No. 3, who just emerged as the European Tour Golfer of the Year, winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, will be looking to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005 and 2006 to win the Hero World Challenge in successive years.

A fourth win in 2019, will also make it his best year in terms of golf. It would also be a wonderful gift to win three straight starts - Open de Espana and DP World came in his last two starts – ahead of his marriage to his fiancée, Kelly Cahill.

Rahm smiled and answered when asked whether it would distract him this week. He said, “I'm getting married, next week. No, (it won't distract me). I think we thought about it long enough the last few months trying to figure it out. It's a happy occasion, it's a joyful occasion, so it's not like my mind's going to wander. I'm focusing on this week, I want to defend and I want to finish the year strong. Nothing better than finishing with three in a row so my mind is on this week so once it's over I'll focus on that.”

Woods has 11 of the 12 members of his President’s Cup team and doubtless he will keep one eye on them, not just as a rival, but also their captain next week in Australia.

Talking of his dual role in President’s Cup, he said, “It was a joke, but turned into reality. Here we are. I'm the second playing captain in the history of the Presidents Cup, so it's a pretty neat responsibility.

And the role's not easy. There's a lot of moving parts, whether it's talking to the guys, talking to my vice captains, organizing what we need to have done down there, not only to be ready but also I need to keep sharp. I need to keep practicing, I need to keep working on my game, make sure I have all my feels and my game is sharp and ready to go, because at minimum next week I'll be responsible for two points.”

Adding to all this is the Charity work in Bahamas, which recently was hit by Hurricane Dorian, one the worst in recent memory.

Sponsor of the tournament and chairman of Hero MotoCorp. Pawan Munjal opined “Two of the islands were really, really devastated badly. We (the tournament organisers) are challenging the players this week to make birdies, eagles and aces.

Every birdie counts for $500, every eagle for $1,000 and every ace gets $ 2,500. All this money will be given to the ONE Bahamas Fund to use it to rebuild the two islands that got devastated. Hero and Tiger are committed to help in that.”

“The start of the tournament was absolutely great. The Hero Shot event at Baha Mar was brilliant. We all had a lot of fun. We've been doing the Hero Challenge on the European Tour for three years.”

“Tiger (who won the Hero Shot) is showing signs of what's coming this week. I was telling him, I would be very happy to give the Tiger trophy to him this Saturday, but I would also like to wish all the rest of the 17 players the best of luck this week.” Munjal said

“It's important for us as a tournament, it's important for Hero as our partner to help (Bahamas) any way we possibly can. Justin (Timberlake) came up with an idea and I got behind it with all the homeowners and RBC and we were able to create an opportunity to give back millions of dollars to a community that has been devastated.”Woods added.