Tiger Woods will continue his comeback effort at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament in Columbus.
UPDATED: 8:05 p.m.
Tiger Woods will defend his title at the Memorial Tournament founded by Jack Nicklaus next week. He also is expected to play in the Wednesday skins game with Nicklaus at Muirfield in Dublin, Ohio.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tiger Woods will return to defend his title at The Memorial Tournament outside Columbus next week, according to the Golf Channel.
Officials at the Memorial said they would have no official word either way until Woods makes his plans known through the PGA Tour, but tournament spokesman Tom Sprouse said all along the event has felt good about Woods' intentions.
"If he's healthy, he'll be here," Sprouse said Tuesday.
Woods hasn't been healthy, though, withdrawing from the The Players Championship on May 9 because of a neck injury. He hasn't played since. But according to the Golf Channel, Woods will use Jack Nicklaus' event at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin as his warmup before the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach two weeks later.
The report also said Woods would join Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Rory McIlroy, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson and Sean O'Hair in a nine-hole Skins Game next Wednesday. That event has replaced a pro-am at the Memorial, with Woods and Nicklaus playing together last year.
Woods, the only four-time winner of the event, shot a final-round 65 a year ago to beat Jim Furyk by a shot. Memorial Tournament director Dan Sullivan said previously Woods has been committing to tournaments on the Wednesday before this year, though the deadline for players isn't until Friday at 5 p.m. The 72-hole event tees off on Thursday, June 3.