Expectations already were running high for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, but Tiger Woods put them “over the top” when he announced
Thursday that he would make his season debut next week in Marana. Executive director Wade Dunagan said he was “thrilled” with the news and that the event was preparing for heightened media coverage, attendance and charity donations. There has been plenty of speculation about when Woods might return to action after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in June. He said in a conference call Friday that, for the first time in a long time, he is swinging without pain in his left knee, which has required three surgeries in the past five years. As for how well he might play after an eight-month layoff, which was the longest of his career, Woods said, “I’m as curious as you. Hopefully I can get into the flow of the round very quickly.” Still, Woods said, he is heading to the new Ritz-Carlton Golf Club north of Tucson with every intention of winning the match play for the fourth time. He is the defending champion. “Well, nothing changes from every time I enter,” Woods said. “It’s to win. So that’s my intent.”
“You hear things, and they flip back and forth,” Dunagan said. “One day his caddie says it probably will be a couple more weeks before he plays, and the next day Tiger commits. I can’t say we were shocked because we remained hopeful, but no one knew for sure.”