US tour: confident Tiger Woods begins his comeback in Arizona

Tiger Woods will be looking to prove he can still be the force he once was against two of golf's young rising stars when the Waste Management Phoenix Open gets under way today in Arizona.

Woods will be making yet another comeback from injury at TPC Scottsdale in his first event of the 2015 season and first tournament since he finished joint last at the Hero World Challenge in December.

He will play the first two days with 21-year-old world number nine Jordan Spieth and 15th-ranked Patrick Reed (24 ), the two players who probably left Gleneagles in Scotland with the most credit after the United States’ third straight Ryder Cup loss last year.

Woods could not compete in Scotland as he continued to recover from back surgery, but the 39-year-old is confident those problems are behind him.

And Woods also believes his driving, which was notably erratic even at his peak and has been put in the shade by the game’s new big-hitters, is as strong as when he last played this event 14 years ago.

“My driving has come around a lot faster,” he told a press conference. “I’m a lot longer than I thought I ever could be again. My speed is way back up, and that’s fun. I’m touching numbers that I did 15 years ago, so that’s cool.”

Poor chipping

Woods’s disappointing week at the Hero World Challenge was notable for his poor chipping, and the 14-time major winner feels he has now adjusted to his new methods with swing consultant Chris Como.

Woods may be the main attraction at TPC Scottsdale, but he will have competition from a strong field including world number four Bubba Watson, last week's Humana Challenge winner Bill Haas and FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington is also in the field.

Defending champion Kevin Stadler will not be playing due to a wrist injury.