Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tiger Woods announces return to golf

Updated at 2:45 pm on 17 March 2010

Tiger Woods has announced he will return to competitive golf in April at the Masters, nearly five months after revelations about a string of affairs wrecked his image as a global sports star.

In a statement posted on his website, Woods said he would return to the sport he has long dominated at famed Augusta National Golf Club at the year's first major championship, which begins on 8 April.

Woods has won four times at Augusta National, including his first major title in 1997.

"After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta," Woods said on his website.

"The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect."

Woods has not played in a tournament since winning the Australian Masters on 15 November.

Twelve days after his Australian victory, Woods was in a car crash near his home that touched off a global scandal, leading to his admission of adultery and putting his golf career on hold while he fought his own personal demons.

"I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," Woods said. "Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."

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