Tiger Woods has announced he’ll begin his 2013 season next week in Abu Dhabi and also play in the Farmers Insurance Open later this month at Torrey Pines, but has not yet committed to any events on the Florida Swing of the PGA Tour.
Woods, however, who played in the Honda Classic at PGA National for the first time last year, is expected by tournament organizers to return. He also typically plays Doral in Miami, Bay Hill in Orlando and the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Woods will be start his season for the second straight year next week at Abu Dhabi, where the field will also feature 2012 Player of the Year and defending Honda champion Rory McIlroy. Woods finished tied for third at Abu Dhabi last year after firing an 11-under-par 277. His next event will be the Farmers Insurance Open Jan. 24-27 at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif.
Beyond that, Woods announced only that he will play in the four majors, starting with the Masters on April 11-14 at Augusta, Ga.; followed by the U.S. Open on June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia; the British Open on July 18-21 at Muirfield, Scotland; and the PGA Championship on Aug. 8-11 at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.
Woods and the Honda have seemed a good fit since he moved into his new Jupiter Island residence in 2011, and his presence in 2012 resulted in a record attendance of more than 160,000, a 45 percent increase over the previous year. The event also provided an opportunity for his two children, who live in the area with his estranged wife Elin Nordegren, to attend.
After struggling early in the week, Woods electrified an overflow gallery on Sunday with an 8-under-par 62 that left him tied for second at 10-under-par 270, two shots behind McIlroy.
Woods has typically played a light early-season schedule heading up to the Masters. He played in the AT&T at Pebble Beach in early February last year and has played in the Accenture Match Play, which immediately precedes the Honda, in three of the past four years.
He has played Doral, which this year immediately follows the Honda on March 7-10, every year since 2005 except for 2010, when injuries resulted in him starting the season at the Masters. Last year he dropped out of Doral, citing a leg injury, after hitting his drive on the 12th hole in the final round Sunday, but returned to play Bay Hill two weeks later.
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