By Evin Priest
TIGER Woods has brushed aside two false starts and announced his long-awaited return to competitive golf will come at his own tournament in The Bahamas next month.
The 14-time Major champion has spent the past 15 months on the sideline – his longest ever break from golf – while recovering from a second microdiscectomy operation on a pinched nerve in his back.
The 79-times US PGA Tour winner was supposed to kick off his return at the 2016/17 season-opening Safeway Open in Napa, California in October, before a scheduled trip to Antalya to play this week’s Turkish Airlines Open. However, Woods withdrew just days before each tournament.
Woods announced via a statement on his website that he will tee it up at the Hero World Challenge – a US PGA Tour event run by his Tiger Woods Foundation from December 1-4 in Albany, the Bahamas.
“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.
“This is our 18th year, and every year we put together a top field that showcases the best golfers from the previous season.”
Fans are hoping to see the champion golfer reignite his phenomenal career after he sat down for an extended interview with broadcaster Charlie Rose last month. In the interview, Woods joked he would “win more” than Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 Major championships.
The interview coincided with the launch of Woods’ company rebrand, which is now called TGR.
