Tiger Woods back hitting full golf shots in preparation for Dec. return

Tiger Woods is taking full swings again with the hope of returning to competition at his annual Hero World Challenge in December. Woods’ doctors have given him the go-ahead to take full swings, making his way through the bag.

“The doctors said he could hit golf balls again, and he’s listening to his doctors and to his body,” Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said to USA Today. “He will keep listening to his doctors and body.”

Woods has been dealing with back issues since 2013. At The Barclays that August, Woods blamed pain on a soft hotel bed. The problem worsened, leading to microdiscectomy surgery on March 31.

For what Woods admitted were somewhat political reasons, he returned at his Quicken Loans National in June, missing the cut. He finished 69th at the Open Championship three weeks later.

In August, Woods withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in the final round after tweaking his back hitting from an awkward stance on the second hole at Firestone Country Club. Woods made a last-minute effort to play in the PGA Championship the following week, missing the cut. He then announced he was withdrawing his name from Ryder Cup consideration.

Woods intends to return at the World Challenge, which has relocated to Orlando, Fla., played Dec. 4-7.

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

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