Tiger Woods will play in the Masters

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He’s in.

Tiger Woods announced Friday that he will play in next week’s Masters.

“I’m playing in the Masters,” Woods said on his website. “It’s obviously very important to me, and I want to be there.

“I’ve worked a lot on my game and I’m looking forward to competing. I’m excited to get to Augusta and I appreciate everyone’s support.”

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Woods arrived at Augusta National on Friday for a second practice round this week, coming on the heels of a reported 2-over 74 in a Tuesday practice round. It’s unclear what Woods did on the Augusta National grounds on Friday and what influence that practice may have had in his decision.

The 14-time major winner hasn’t played competitively since Feb. 5, when he withdrew after 11 holes in Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open. He was 2 over when he withdrew, citing back pain. On Feb. 11, Woods announced on his website he would take a hiatus from the game, not playing again until his game was “tournament ready.” Woods skipped The Honda Classic in his hometown of Jupiter, Fla., didn’t qualify for the WGC-Cadillac Championship and did not play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a tournament he has won eight times.

Woods has four Masters victories, but hasn’t won the tournament since a 2005 playoff victory over Chris DiMarco. However, when Woods has been healthy, in decade since that win, he has been a contender. In his last eight Masters starts, Woods has finished outside the top six just once, when he finished T-40 in 2012.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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