Tiger will play in Dec.
Tiger Woods said Tuesday he’s playing in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week of December, which would be his first competition in more than 15 months if he follows through with it.
Woods left himself open to doubt by entering the Safeway Open last month, only to pull out three days later when he said his game wasn’t ready.
“I am excited to make my return at the Hero World Challenge at Albany and play in this terrific tournament,” he said in a news release that announced the 18- man field for the unofficial tournament that awards world- ranking points but is not part of any tour.
Woods is the tournament host of a holiday event that began in 1999. He is a five- time winner, all of those victories coming at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, before the tournament moved to Isleworth in Florida and then to the Bahamas.
Woods, now at No. 831 in the world ranking, last played in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015, tying for 10th. He had two back surgeries in the next few months and has said he wouldn’t return until fully healthy.
He initially said in early September that he planned to play the Safeway Open and Turkish Airlines Open. Woods withdrew on the Monday before the Safeway Open, saying his health was good and his body felt strong but that “my game is vulnerable and not where it needed to be.”
He also pulled out of Turkey.
The Hero World Challenge features players from the top 50 in the world, with an exception made for Woods as the tournament host. The 16 qualifiers came from the top 25 in the world ranking that was published the week after the Tour Championship.