Tiger Woods will return from a nine-month absence to play the Hero World Challenge; the 14-time major winner has announced.
The competition in Albany, Bahamas, is not a PGA Tour event, but all eyes in the world of golf will be watching as Woods makes his long-awaited comeback from a persistent back injury on November 30.
The 18-player field will be a good benchmark for the 41-year-old to measure his progress, with six of the top eight in the world rankings - Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Jason Day, and Rickie Fowler - scheduled to play.
Woods said: "I am excited to return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge.
I’d like to thank the committee of 1 for picking myself and Daniel Berger to play in this years #HeroWorldChallenge. https://t.co/z5tn5aARUY
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 30, 2017
"Albany is the perfect setting and it will be great to join this outstanding field. I want to thank Pawan Munjal and Hero MotoCorp for their continued support of this tournament and my foundation.
"I would also like to thank the fans for their unwavering support during my injury."
After undergoing a fourth back surgery in April, Woods, who spent 16 months out due to injury from August 2015, recently received clearance from his doctor to play with no restrictions.
He has not played on the PGA Tour since January, when he shot a 76-72 and missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.
The announcement comes days three days after Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving in relation to his May 29 arrest and agreed to enter a pre-trial diversion program. He was also put on probation for 12 months.
Photo by: Getty Images Caption: Tiger Woods at the 2016 Hero World Challenge