Woods sets return date after yearlong absence
CARMEL, IND.— Out of golf for more than a year, Tiger Woods said Wednesday he hopes to play the first event of the PGA Tour season next month and could play as much as twice more before the end of the year.
Woods said if his rehabilitation from back surgeries keeps going well, he would play the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., on Oct. 13-16.
“My rehabilitation is to the point where I’m comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do,” Woods said in a surprise announcement on his website. “Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go.”
Woods last played on Aug. 23, 2015, at the Wyndham Championship. Two shots out of the lead going into the final round, he closed with a 70 and tied for 10th. A month later, he announced he had another operation on his back. Then, Woods had a third back surgery in October.
Jack Nicklaus tweeted to Woods that “it’s to see you back and in good health. You’ve done so much for the game and it’s better with you playing.”
The Safeway Open is the opening event of the wraparound PGA Tour season. Woods also said he intends to play in the Turkish Airlines Open the first weekend in November and his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week of December.
He also said he would take part in his Tiger Woods Invitational, a charity event for his foundation, Oct. 10-11 on the Monterey Peninsula.
“It was difficult missing tournaments that are important to me, but this time I was smart about my recovery and didn’t rush it,” Woods said.
The announcement was a swift departure from the few public appearances this year in which Woods has said he planned to return but did not have a timetable.
“He needs to get back out here,” U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson said. “The tour needs him, and I want to see him playing well again. He’s not going to come back unless he’s ready, so I feel like he’ll play well. Winning? I don’t see it right away. But he’s on a different level than anyone else. He’ll be prepared.”
Woods won his 79th PGA Tour title in 2013 at the Bridgestone Invitational, leaving him three short of the record held by Sam Snead. The last of his 14 majors was in the 2008 U.S. Open, right before reconstructive surgery on his left knee.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him play again, seeing what the state of his game is,” world No. 1 Jason Day said.