Tiger will be out of the woods for challenge

TIGER Woods will end a 16-month absence from competitive golf next month at his own Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods, 40, has been missing from the course since undergoing a pair of back operations last September, cancelling several planned comebacks.

The 14-time Major winner now intends to take part in the event he hosts and has won on five occasions, stating: “I am excited to make my return at the Hero World Challenge at Albany and play in this terrific tournament.”

Woods, who will line up in a strong 18-man field including defending champion Bubba Watson, went on: “This is our 18th year and every year we put together a top field that showcases the best golfers from the previous season.

“Albany is an outstanding setting, and I can’t thank Hero MotoCorp enough for their support of the tournament and my foundation.”

Woods has not competed since August 2015, in the Wyndham Championship, a month after which he underwent a microdiscectomy.

A second clear-up procedure followed in October and a planned return to action in “early 2016” was soon revised.

In September he announced plans to tee up at the following month’s Safeway Open and the European Tour’s Turkish Airlines Open this week.

He later shelved those plans, declaring himself physically healthy but suffering from a game that was “vulnerable”.

Woods cut a contented figure as a vice-captain during the United States’ comfortable Ryder Cup defeat of Europe at Hazeltine a month ago.

Twelve players involved in that event are also signed up to take part at the Hero World Challenge, including three of this year’s Major winners Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Jimmy Walker, as well as world No 5 Jordan Spieth.

THREE-TIME major champion Padraig Harrington believes the players who have pulled out of this week’s Turkish Airlines Open due to security concerns may have over-reacted.

The £5.7 million event has been hit by a spate of withdrawals, including that of Rory McIlroy, due to safety fears surrounding the first of the three Final Series events.

The European Tour is understood to have been on the verge of cancelling the tournament last week after an explosion outside the Antalya Trade and Industry Chamber injured around a dozen people on Tuesday.

American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed followed McIlroy in pulling out of the event after concerns expressed by the US State Department.

However, Harrington drew on his personal experience of playing in Northern Ireland early in his career, as well as this year’s Olympics in Brazil, before deciding to travel to Antalya.

“That was a big factor cited in not going to Rio, safety reasons, and how wrong were they there?” the 45-yearold Dubliner said.