“I’ve worked a lot on my game and I’m looking forward to competing. I’m excited to get to Augusta and I appreciate everyone’s support.”
Jeff Sherman, golf oddsmaker at the Westgate Las Vegas, told ESPN that Woods opened at 40-1.
Woods, 39, a four-time winner of the tournament, had been questionable for the year’s first major championship ever since announcing a leave from the game on Feb. 11 to work on issues in his game.
He entered just two tournaments this year and played only 47 holes, missing the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in January and then making it through just 11 holes of the Farmers Insurance Open a week later, citing a stiff lower back.
“He’s said all along he’s going to come back when he feels comfortable,” Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg told ESPN. “He gave me a call today and said I’m going to play next week. He makes firm decisions. There was no debating or going back and forth. Only he could determine when he would come back. This was going to be completely 100 percent his decision.”
Woods, who had back surgery on March 31, 2014, missed the Masters last year for the first time since his first appearance in 1995 as an amateur. He has 13 top-10 finishes in the tournament but hasn’t won it in 10 years.
And indications are his game is not in a place to be competitive.