• Masters

Tiger to make Masters return

Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that he will make his return to golf at the Masters on April 5.

The world No. 1 took an indefinite leave from the sport following revelations about his private life. He has not played since November 15, when he won the Australian Open in Melbourne.

"The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta," Woods said in a statement.

"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played.

"I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," Woods said. "Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.

"When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments and I look forward to competing in them again.

"I would also like to thank the Augusta National members and staff for their support. I have deep appreciation for everything that they do to create a wonderful event for the benefit of the game."

PGA Tour commissioner Tom Finchem called a press conference on Monday amid speculation that Woods would make his return at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he gave no indication of when Woods would make his comeback.

"We have the general information that Tiger is preparing to play and there's been a lot of speculation about when he might come back out," he said.

"But I don't have a specific date when he's going to come back and I can only assume, though, that all this speculation about late March and early April, if he is going to start back then, we will know soon. Beyond that I can't help you."

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