Tiger Woods officially confirms return to competition

Former world number one Tiger Woods has officially entered next week's Safeway Open as he edges nearer to competing in his first PGA Tour event since August 2015.

Woods, who has been sidelined by serious back problems, said last month he planned to play four events before the end of the year, starting with the Tiger Woods Invitational on the Monterey Peninsula, California, on October 10th.

The 40-year-old will then head north to Napa for the Safeway Open from October 13-16 and, if all goes to plan, Woods will play on the European Tour in the Turkish Airlines Open in November and the Hero World Challenge, which is hosted by his own foundation, in the Bahamas.

Woods has undergone three back operations in the space of 19 months and has not won on the PGA Tour since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2013.

The 14-time major winner served as a vice-captain to Davis Love as the United States won the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine last week and will perform the same role for Steve Stricker at the 2017 Presidents Cup, if he fails to make the team.

His participation in the Safeway Open was announced in a statement from the PGA Tour, several hours ahead of the 5pm EST deadline for entries.