Tiger Woods will return to PGA Tour at Safeway Open after 13-month hiatus

Tiger Woods has made official what he hinted at last month: The 14-time major champion will make his long-awaited return to competitive golf next week at the Safeway Open.

The PGA Tour announced Friday that Woods, sidelined since August 2015 after undergoing a third operation on his back last fall, will open the PGA Tour’s 2016-17 season at Johnny Miller’s Silverado Resort. The 40-year-old Woods, who last played competitively at the 2014 Wyndham Championship where he finished T10, will resume his chase of Sam Snead’s record 82 tour wins. Tiger has 79 to his credit.

Frequently injured, Woods skipped the entire 2015-16 season and made only 11 starts the year before because of problems with his back. That 2014-15 season was riddled with a withdrawal, missed cuts, and chipping woes. After pulling out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February, Tiger made his next start at the Masters in April, where he finished T17.

Shortly after earning his only top-10 finish of the season at the Wyndham, Woods announced he had a second microdiscectomy surgery in September and a follow-up procedure in October.

Woods committed to start at the Safeway shortly after Jesper Parnevik reported his frequent playing partner at Woods' home course of Medalist was "flushing everything" and that the former world No. 1’s comeback "might be spectacular."

Woods' entry into the Safeway was hardly a surprise, given his earlier statement and the fact that the event was listed on his website’s schedule. He will take the tee fresh from a successful debut as assistant captain of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Woods earlier this week was named one of three vice captains for the 2017 Presidents Cup under skipper Steve Stricker. He will serve with Davis Love III and Fred Couples if he fails to make the team as a player.