Legendary golfer Tiger Woods announces intention to play in first golf competition since the Masters

The amount of time Tiger Woods has been able to dedicate to competitive golf over the past couple years has been limited due to numerous setbacks.

Woods has not played in a tournament since April, when he competed at the Masters. 

He withdrew in the third round after dealing with weather issues and an injured right leg.

On Saturday, the golf great announced his intention to play later this month in the Hero World Challenge. The event is scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the Bahamas.

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His TGR company announced his decision to take a sponsor exemption. The 20-man field is for the top 50 in the world ranking, though the tournament host — Woods — is exempt.

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Earlier this month, the legendary golfer revealed he is no longer experiencing pain in his right ankle. The fifteen-time major champion underwent surgery on the ankle earlier this year.

But Woods cautioned that the issues in his leg remain a work in progress.

"My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever," Woods said. "That pain is completely gone. It’s the other areas that have been compensated for."

He compared it to when he had fusion surgery on his lower back. He said the L5 and S1 vertebrae were fine.

"But all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems and I still do," he said. "So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues."

Woods was seriously injured in a February 2021 single-car crash in California. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Woods was driving as fast as 87 mph, his rate of speed more than 45 mph above the posted speed limit.

Woods played at the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, just 10 months after his car crash.

He also recently caddied for Charlie at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship, sparking speculation he was close to playing again. Woods will be playing the Hero World Challenge for the first time since 2019. 

Woods has not won since the Zozo Championship in Japan in the fall of 2019, the year he won the Masters for his 15th major.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/legendary-golfer-tiger-woods-announces-intentions-to-play-first-golf-competition-since-masters