Golf’s recession is about to end.
Tiger Woods announced on his website Thursday that he is ready to play and will defend his title next week in the Match Play Championship in Tucson.
Almost as simple as Michael Jordan’s “I’m back” announcement when he came out of retirement, Woods’ words were almost as exact: “I’m now ready to play again.”
Woods, who has not played since sinking a par-putt on the 91st hole to win the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion, has been recovering for the past eight months from his third surgery on his left knee in five years.
Woods ending his 253-day break could not come at a better time for the PGA Tour, which has seen TV ratings plunge after the world’s No. 1 player had to miss the second half of the season, including two majors.
“The economy is down. We need something to boost us up,” fellow pro Kenny Perry told The Associated Press. “And there’s going to be a gazillion reporters there, so it will be fun to be around. That place is going to come to life.”
Woods had surgery after the Masters last year to repair cartilage damage in his left knee, and suffered a double stress fracture in his left leg while preparing for his return. He limped badly over the final few days of the U.S. Open, and a week after winning, he had reconstructive surgery.
“He has played one tournament in 10 months,” swing coach Hank Haney said. “I would think he would be a little rusty, but I really don’t know what to expect. Nothing with Tiger ever surprises me.”
