AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods says he will play three events in Florida as he gears up for the April 10-13 Masters, the year’s opening major, and will skip the upcoming WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona as had been expected.
The American world number one has competed in only two tournaments this year, the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open and the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, and will next be in action at the February 27-March 2 Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
After that, he will defend his titles at the March 6-9 WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami and the March 20-23 Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
“The Honda Classic is close to my home, and I want to support it whenever I can,” 14-times major winner Woods said on his official website yesterday.
“I’m also excited about spending time with Arnold and defending my title at his tournament and the WGC-Cadillac.”
Though Woods is a three-time winner of the February 19-23 Accenture Match Play Championship, the first of the year’s four World Golf Championships events, he confirmed that had not been on his schedule for this season.
“I had planned to take that week off and travel with (girlfriend) Lindsey (Vonn) to Sochi, but unfortunately that won’t happen,” Woods said. “Instead, I’ll stay home and prepare for the Florida tournaments.”
Vonn, the Olympic downhill champion and a four-times overall World Cup winner who is one of the biggest attractions in winter sport, pulled out of the Sochi Games last month due to a knee injury.
Woods’ absence from the Match Play Championship will leave that event without three of the world’s top four players with second-ranked Adam Scott and fourth-ranked Phil Mickelson also opting not to play.
REUTERS
