Woods to Play in Three Tournaments in Run-Up to Masters


As is his tradition, Tiger Woods is picking and choosing which tournaments he plays in preparation for major championships. Woods, who won his last time out on the PGA Tour at the Northern Trust Open at Torrey Pines, let the golf world know which events he'll be playing prior to this year's Masters on his website.

Woods announced on http://web.tigerwoods.com that he'll be playing the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship before the Masters, April 11-14.

The Match Play Championship at the Golf Club in Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., will be held February 20-24; the Honda Classic at PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., February 28-March 3; and the Cadillac Championship, March 7-10, at TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Miami, Fla. Woods will then have a full month off before heading to Augusta National, where he's won four green jackets.

"I'm excited to be playing in the Honda Classic again," Woods said. "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."

Woods has had prior success at each of these tournaments. He won the Match Play title in 2003, '04 and '08. After closing with an 8-under 62 in the final round of the 2012 Honda Classic, he finished tied for second, two strokes behind winner Rory McIlroy. And he's won at Doral six times - 1999, 2002, '03, '05, '06 and '07. He also captured the 2005 and '06 Ford Championship at Doral.

Last year at Doral, Tiger shot rounds of 72-67-68 but withdrew after 11 holes in the final round because of injury. Woods felt pain in his left Achilles warming up and limped noticeably during the round. After hitting his tee shot on the 12th hole, he headed to the clubhouse.