Tiger set to play twice before end of the year

Tiger Woods is to end a four-month break from competitive golf by playing in the Hero World Challenge in December.

The 15-time major winner confirmed on Twitter that he will tee up in the 20-man annual event he hosts in the Bahamas, which begins on December 1 and marks his first start since he missed the cut at The Open in July.

He will make a further appearance a week later on December 10 in ‘The Match’, a 12-hole exhibition alongside Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

The additions to Woods’s schedule, albeit limited, offer a positive sign about the state of the 47-year-old’s fitness as he battles the impact of injuries sustained in a serious car accident in 2021, not least because he indicated he might not play again this year after struggling at St Andrews in the summer.

In addition to tournament host Tiger Woods, the field for the Hero World Challenge features defending champion Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young, Sungjae Im, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner and Tommy Fleetwood.