Tiger Woods announces PGA Tour return at Farmers Insurance Open
TIGER WOODS has revealed he will make his PGA season debut at the Farmers Insurance Open later this month.
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Tiger Woods has been plagued by a back injury for the last five years but he is now pain free and has confirmed his return to the PGA Tour.
The 41-year-old has revealed he will play the Farmers Insurance Open which gets underway on January 25 - marking his first official PGA event for a year.
And he has also confirmed he plans to play the Genesis Open at the Los Angeles Riviera Country Club three weeks later.
“Excited to start my season off in Southern California at the Farmers Open and Genesis Open,” he wrote on Twitter.
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“I’m very excited to be back at Riviera,” he added.
“I haven’t played at Riviera in a tournament in a very long time.
“To be able to play in an event that I used to come to as an amateur, as a junior and now as the tournament host, that is on one of the most historic sites in all of golf, it’s a dream come true.”
The announcement follows Woods’ fine form at the unofficial Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas where he tied for ninth in the 18-man field and turned heads.
“I’ve never seen him happier with life, with everything,” FedExCup champion Justin Thomas said.
“It’s just so weird to say that you're excited for somebody else's year, but it will be a fun year and I hope we duel it out a lot.”
Woods has enjoyed huge success at the Farmers over the years, winning the event on seven occasions, including four straight victories between 2005 to 2008.
When he steps up to the tee at Torrey Pines later this month it will be his first official Tour start since he failed to miss the cut at last year’s Farmers.
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News of Woods return clearly delighted Farmers Insurance Tournament Director, Peter Ripa.
“It’s awesome,” Ripa said. “There’s a feeling that this comeback is different, with the eye test we got at the Hero World Challenge. He hit shots, he looked strong. There’s a national anticipation for this.
“Tiger shares a rich history with Torrey Pines Golf Course, and with The Farmers Insurance Open, in particular. We are excited to have him join our field once again, alongside some of the game’s greats.
“His legacy already cemented, we look forward to, together with our fans, watching as Tiger writes the latest chapter of his storied career.”
