Tiger Woods confirms he’ll play Honda Classic for the first time as a pro

After hinting last year that he wanted to add a new tournament to his 2012 schedule, Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday, via his website, that he’ll play the Honda Classic in March for the first time in his pro career.

“I’ve heard great things about the Honda Classic, and now that I live here, I want to play whenever possible,” Woods said. “Jack’s [Nicklaus] involvement in the tournament and the benefits to the local community are also important.”

With the tournament being in Woods’ backyard (he now resides in Jupiter, Fla.), the decision seems to make a lot of sense logistically. Woods played the tournament as a 17-year-old amateur but ended up missing the cut, so he does have a little bit of history with the event. But the fact that he decided to add the Honda means Woods is making good on his promise last year to play at least one new event this season.

The addition to his tournament schedule now means Woods will play three consecutive weeks, starting with the WGC-Accenture Match Play and ending at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral; the Honda, played at the always difficult PGA National, will be sandwiched between the two events.

While we know where he’ll be headed after Doral (the Masters will be less than a month out), Woods, as usual, hasn’t released his schedule past the second week in March. There’s a chance he could play Bay Hill — a tournament he’s dominated in the past — as a final tuneup before the first major of the year, but at this point, that’s pure conjecture.

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo! Sports