New York: Tiger Woods will play in three consecutive PGA Tour events, starting with next week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, as part of his build-up to the Masters, the year’s first major.
The American world number two will also compete at the Feb. 28-March 3 Honda Classic, which is staged close to his home in Florida, and then the March 7-10 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, he said on his official website.
Woods enjoys a good track record in both World Golf Championships (WGC) events, having won the Match Play three times and the Cadillac Championship on six occasions.
He tied for second in last year’s Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, two shots behind Rory McIlroy, after closing with a sizzling eight-under par 62.
“I’m excited to be playing in the Honda Classic again,” Woods, who lives in nearby Jupiter Island, said in a statement. “It’s a really good tournament, and it does a lot for the community.
“I like the golf course, and I came pretty close last year. It’s part of a busy stretch for me, and I want to continue playing well.”
Former world number one Woods has not played on the PGA Tour since he clinched his 75th title on the US circuit by four strokes at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego three weeks ago. The 2013 Masters will be played from April 11-14 at Augusta National where Woods is a four-times champion.
Meanwhile, world No. 4 Brandt Snedeker, coming off a victory at the US PGA Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, pulled out of next week’s World Golf Championships event yesterday with sore ribs.
Snedeker will skip the $8.75m WGC Match-Play Championship, joining Phil Mickelson as top players to drop out of the lineup of the 64-man showdown which starts February 20.
“I certainly will miss competing in the Match Play Championship,” Snedeker said.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, second-ranked Woods and third-ranked Luke Donald of England will be the top seeds at next week’s tournament.
Snedeker’s withdrawal opens the door for World No. 5 Justin Rose of England to claim a top seed spot when pairings are made on Sunday. Snedeker had finished second to Woods at Torrey Pines and to Mickelson at Phoenix in the two weeks prior to his triumph. REUTERS
