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Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods will end another injury-related hiatus and return to competitive golf at the 2023 Hero World Challenge, teeing off alongside Justin Thomas on Thursday in the Bahamas. Woods and Thomas are scheduled to tee off at 11:41 a.m. EST in the first round of the tournament at Albany's championship golf course. The tournament, which runs through Sunday, will air on Golf Channel and NBC and stream on Peacock.
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"I love competing," Woods told reporters Tuesday at a news conference. "I love playing. I missed being out here with the guys. I missed the camaraderie and fraternity-like atmosphere out here and the overall banter. But what drives me is I love to compete."
Woods, 47, will return to competitive golf for the first time since April, when he withdrew from the Masters Tournament. The 15-time major title winner said he aggravated his plantar fasciitis and played through constant pain. A few weeks later, Woods underwent a fusion procedure on his right ankle.
Woods said Tuesday that he went through "six months of doing nothing," before he resumed weightlifting and endurance exercises. He said he no longer experiences pain in the area.
"My game feels rusty," Woods said. "I haven't played in a while."
Woods, who competed in a Pro-Am on Wednesday at Albany, said he is not concerned about walking 90 holes on the 7,449-yard course. He noted he could experience increased stress in other parts of his body, including his knee and back, because of the forces involved in playing.
He hasn't finished inside the Top 38 at a tournament since 2020. He also earned his last win that season at the Zozo Championship. His last major victory was at the 2019 Masters.
