Tiger Woods returns at Congressional after three-month absence

Tiger Woods will command the headlines as the former world number one returns to competitive golf at Congressional today.

The 14-time Major winner has been out of action for the past three months after undergoing back surgery in March.

The Masters and the US Open, the first two Majors of the year, are among the 15 tournaments he has missed during his lay-off.

Woods had originally targeted a return at next month’s Open Championship at Hoylake but is ahead of schedule in his recovery and is now aiming to make up for lost time.

He may not yet be ready to set any specific victory targets but chief among his aims is qualifying for the PGA Tour’s FedExCup play-offs. The 38-year-old has eight weeks to climb from 209 in the current standings into the top 125 places.

Woods, who has slipped to fifth in the world rankings, said: “I am actually ahead of schedule where everyone thought I would be at.

“We all thought it was going to be the British Open which would be my first event back but I healed fast.

“I am just trying to get into the play-offs.”

Woods has admitted, however, that he probably would not be competing at the event in Bethesda, Maryland, this week were it not supporting his own Tiger Woods Foundation.

But after a carefully-managed programme of rehabilitation and some tweaks to his game, Woods feels ready to play.

The American, who has also been hampered by knee and Achilles problems since winning the last of his Major titles six years ago, said of his training programme: "Once I got to the point when I was playing golf, shaping shots and looking at holes things started to come back quickly." Major titles On Monday, the 38-year-old, who won the last of his 14 Major titles at the US Open at Torrey Pines in 2008, admitted: "The difference as I've aged is I can't play the way I used to.

“But I’m pain-free. It’s been a very long time, probably a good two years since I’ve felt this way.”

Woods – a two-time former winner of the event – will play the first two rounds alongside world number six Jason Day and another player to have impressed in the past year, youngster Jordan Spieth.

Spieth (20) finished tied second at the Masters in April and joint fourth at The Players Championship last month and is ranked ninth in the world.

Woods said: “Jordan Spieth has been playing great. To have come out of college and done this well this fast and been consistent – he seems to be having top 10s every week.”

Elsewhere, Ernie Els, who won the US Open at the same venue in 1997, forms a high-profile three-ball for the first two days with Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley.

The in-form Brendon Todd plays alongside Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker while there should also be interest in the Jason Dufner, Bill Haas and KJ Choi grouping.