It’s been a long old wait, with a false start along the way, but Tiger Woods has confirmed he will return to competitive golf action in December.
The 14-time major champion revealed Tuesday that he will appear that Hero World Challenge event at the Albany resort in the Bahamas between December 1 and 4 after 16 months out through injury.
“I am excited to make my return at the Hero World Challenge at Albany and play in this terrific tournament,” Woods said in a statement released on the event’s website.
Woods had been expected to return at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, in October but withdrew after “a lot of soul searching” led him to the conclusion that he was “not yet ready to play.”
Although spending a prolonged period away from competitive action, Woods was a vice-captain as the US Ryder Cup team defeated their European rivals at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota last month.
He has also hinted in recent weeks that he was on his way back, although he “still had work to do.”
The 40-year-old former has suffered from a series of injuries and back surgeries which led to a sharp drop in form and ranking. He last played in a competitive tournament in August 2015.
Woods has not won a PGA Tour event since the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013, but remains keen to add to his total of 79 titles and close in on Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82.
He also joked in October that he still had eyes on trumping Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 career majors.
The Hero World Challenge competition is hosted by Woods and features the four reigning major champions, the top 11 players available from the world rankings, the defending champion and two special exemption players.