NASSAU, Bahamas – Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge has always been considered a world ranking bonanza for the lucky few who qualify, but this year’s event won’t be as lucrative due to a new ranking formula.

The new “point distribution curve” was introduced this year for events with 80 or fewer participants to award a higher percentage of ranking points to top finishers.

This week’s champion in Albany receives 31 ranking points, compared to 30 last year to Scottie Scheffler. While this may seem insignificant, this year’s Hero World Challenge has a significantly weaker field of participants, with a field score of 117 points compared to last year’s 130-point score.

The new system, which also applied to this year’s signature events, means the last three finishers will not receive any world ranking points. For example, Woods – who is not competing in the event this year – placed 18th^Th in the 20-player field last year and received 2.4 points, giving him a 1,328-point lead^Th in the world at 898^Th.

This Albany field rating is the lowest in recent history as only three of the top 10 players make the trip to the Bahamas. In fact, the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour this week has a higher field rating (123) than the Hero World Challenge.