Woods a spectator at Chevron World Challenge

2008-12-18

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THOUSAND OAKS, California (Ticker)- Tiger Woods will have to let someone else win the Chevron World Challenge this year.

The host of the $5.75 million event, Woods will miss this edition of the tournament as he continues to recover from the left knee surgery that ended his season in June.

Had he played here at Sherwood Country Club, Woods would have been the clear favorite - he’s the two-time reigning champion and has won this event four times in its nine-year history.

While the world No. 1 is out of mix, a field of 16 other top PGA Tour players will battle for the $1.35 million first prize.

The highest ranked player participating is No. 5 Vijay Singh, who captured the FedExCup championship in September.

Seventh-ranked Camilo Villegas is the other top-10 player taking part in the event, which is not an official money tournament, but recognized as an unofficial money event by the PGA Tour.

Others notable names set to compete when the event gets under way Thursday are Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, K.J. Choi, Kenny Perry and Fred Couples.

This tournament was established as a charity event by Woods in 1999, and all the funds raised go to charities with which he is associated.