Tiger Woods Announces Long Anticipated Return to PGA Tour

Tiger Woods has finally set a date for his return to competitive action.

Tiger Woods has announced his plan to return to the PGA Tour. He broke the news on his website Wednesday morning, stating his competitive return will begin at the Safeway Open, Oct. 13-16, at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

Woods had been sidelined from professional competition for 14 months while rehabbing his back.

“My rehabilitation is to the point where I’m comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do,” Tiger said. “Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go.”

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The Safeway Open, which marks itself as the 2016-2017 PGA Tour Season Opener, will be Woods’ first competitive event since the 2015 Wyndham Championship. Woods held a share of the lead after 36-holes in Greensboro, but finished T-10 at 13-under-par, four strokes behind eventual winner Davis Love III.

Though Woods put together one of his best results in North Carolina, he still showed signs of pain, walking with a slight limp around the course. Three weeks later, he announced he would undergo his second microdiscectomy surgery in September to relieve pain in his back.

To make matters worse, Woods would need a follow-up surgery two months later to alleviate additional pain from the prior surgery. At the time, Woods said, “It’s one of those things that had to be done. I have an outstanding team of doctors, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

That statement would become the main narrative for the 14-time major-winner over the course of 2016.

(Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) /

In March, Woods wrote on his website that he had begun chipping, putting and hitting 9-irons. This news got fans excited for his possible return to golf in time for the major championship season.

Instead, Woods urged patience with his rehab. “While there is no timetable on my return to competitive golf, I want to play this game at the highest level again,” he wrote. “In order to do that, I have to get healthy.”

In the end, Woods was forced to skip all four major events in a calendar year for the first time in his 20 year career.

World No. 1 and close friend of Tiger Woods, Jason Day, said on Wednesday he was unsure of when Woods would make his official return despite having “chatted a little bit.”

“Although we’re expecting big things from him, I don’t expect too much from him, even though he is Tiger Woods,” Day said. “Even though you’re one of the greatest of all time, it’s very difficult to kind of get that sharpness back … It would be fun to play against him when he’s at his best.”

Prior to Woods’ announcement, Phil Mickleson had been the only other big name player in the Safeway field. But he will be forced to give the spotlight to his historic adversary once more, which is sure to enhance the appeal of the event.

"“My hope is to have my game ready to go.” – Tiger Woods"

Tournament host, Johnny Miller, echoed the excitement of many fans after the announcement. “A big yes, a screaming yes,” Miller said on GolfChannel. “We already got a screaming yes by having Phil come, and now we have Phil and Tiger so we are really blessed to start the season with those players.”

Also in this morning’s announcement, Woods stated his intentions to compete in two other PGA Tour events before to the end of the year – the Turkish Airlines Open, Nov. 3-6, and the Tiger Woods Foundation-run Hero World Challenge, Dec. 1-4.

In preparation for the Safeway Open, Woods will participate in his charity golf event, the Tiger Woods Invitational Presented by USLI, on Oct. 10-11.

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Think Tiger can get back to his winning ways? Has he already seen the best of his playing days? Let us know in the comment section below!

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