Tiger plans on plenty of tee-offs for 2017

After playing one tournament in 15 months, Tiger Woods feels good enough to schedule four events in five weeks that cover opposite sides of the continent and the world.

Woods filled out the rest of his early schedule Thursday by saying he would return to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

He had not played since August 2015 while recovering from two back surgeries, returning last month in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge. Woods made 24 birdies in 72 holes, but he finished 15th in a 17-man field.

“I am working hard to sharpen my game for 2017, and my goal is simple: to win,” Woods said.

Woods makes his 2017 debut at Torrey Pines from Jan. 26 to 29, and then he will cross 12 time zones to play in Dubai, U.A.E. After a week off, he returns to California for the Genesis Open in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and the following week he heads to Florida for the Honda Classic.

The last time the 41-year-old Woods played four times in five weeks was early in 2013 — the Match Play in Arizona, followed by three of the four tournaments that made up the Florida swing.

What pleased him about his return at the Bahamas, beyond his 24 birdies, was his health.

“The only doubt I had was the physicality of the round — the length and duration — because I hadn’t been able to practice or play much golf,” Woods said.

Woods said he and his two children were hit with a virus before Thanksgiving, and he ran out of energy toward the end of the tournament.

Woods got in one high-profile round after the Bahamas. He played with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla.