PGA Tour: Sidelined for a year, Tiger Woods plans October return

Tiger Woods, who has not played on the PGA Tour since August 2015, plans to return to competitive golf next month.

Woods wrote on his website Wednesday that he hopes to play in the Safeway Open on Oct. 13-16 at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., and add two more events before the end of the year. The Safeway tournament is the first event of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season.

The 40-year-old Woods had two surgeries to his back in the fall of 2015, bringing his total to three.

Woods said he also intends to play in the Turkish Airlines Open Nov. 3-6 in Antalya, Turkey, and the Hero World Challenge Dec. 1-4 at Albany in the Bahamas, a tournament that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

"My rehabilitation is to the point where I'm comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do," Woods said in a statement. "Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go.

"I'm looking forward to going to California for my foundation event and Safeway. I'm also excited to return to Turkey and Albany (in the Bahamas). It could be a fun fall. It was difficult missing tournaments that are important to me, but this time I was smart about my recovery and didn't rush it."

The 14-time major winner, who has slipped outside of the top 700 in the world, last competed at the 2015 Wyndham Championship, where Woods tied for 10th.

"It was great spending time with my children Sam and Charlie, and also working on a lot of projects including golf-course design, the upcoming 20th anniversary of my foundation and my book about the 1997 Masters," Woods said. "But I missed competing.

"I want to thank all the fans for their kindness and concern. I've been a pro about 20 years, and their support has never waned."