Alex Myers
It’s official, Tiger Woods will make his 2017 US PGA Tour debut at the Farmers Insurance Open. The tournament, which runs from January 26-29, announced news of the 14-time major champ committing to the field this morning in a press release.
“We’re thrilled our fans will have the opportunity to see Tiger in addition to what is already a very strong field for the Farmers Insurance Open,” said Century Club CEO Peter Ripa in the release. “He has experienced tremendous success at Torrey Pines and in our tournament, and we couldn’t think of a better place for him to start the year. Tiger’s presence will add to a deep and talented field that includes many of the top stars in the game as well as some exciting up-and-coming players.”
The release also says this will be Woods’ first event of 2017. Previously, it was believed he could begin his year a week earlier at the Abu Dhabi Championship on the European Tour.
Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines, which has been a traditional spot for him to start his season. In addition to capturing the 2008 US Open, Woods has won the US Tour’s annual tour stop at the La Jolla course seven times, most recently in 2013.
This will be Woods’ first full-field PGA Tour event since a T-10 at the 2015 Wyndham Championship. After that finish, Woods had two back surgeries and sat out the entire 2015/2016 season before returning in December at the Hero World Challenge. Woods led the field with 24 birdies that week, but only finished 15th in the 18-man field.
Other early commitments to the field at Torrey Pine include 2015 champion Jason Day, three-time winner Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
