The 2009 schedule is out, so when will Tiger return?

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The 2009 PGA TOUR schedule has been released -- through the third event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- so the big question now is: When will Tiger Woods return to action?

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Tiger will return in '09. But when?

2009 TOUR schedule

Click here for the 2009 PGA TOUR schedule | PDF version

Woods, who continues to rehab from knee surgery that he underwent after winning the U.S. Open in June at Torrey Pines, has not made a definitive decision on which tournament he's circling for his return.

Most likely, he would like to return to Torrey Pines in the first full week of February to defend his Buick Invitational title on a course in which he's enjoyed much success, having won five straight events there (including the U.S. Open) and seven overall as a pro. But he's not sure if that's realistic

"That's the most frustrating thing for me, because I don't know," Woods said. "I like having things planned out. I like understanding what I need to shoot for, but I don't know. And the surgeons don't know, either, because they've never dealt with an injury like this for a person who plays golf at an elite level.

"For an amateur, it's no big deal, just come back nine months from now or 10 months from now. But for me, I don't know what the schedule's going to be."

So if we had to guess, here are the five likeliest events for his return:

1. Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (March 23-29). Woods has won at Bay Hill five times, including last year when he shot a pair of 66s on the weekend. The tournament is two weeks before the Masters, so it works from a time standpoint as a nice tuneup.

2. World Golf Championships-CA Championship (March 9-15). Woods has won this event six times, and it's two weeks earlier than Bay Hill. If he's ready and itching to go, Doral seems like a good bet.

3. The Masters (April 8-12). Most everyone thinks Tiger will want and need a tuneup before playing in the year's first major. But if anyone can walk in cold after 10 months of inactivity on the PGA TOUR and still be a contender, it's Tiger.

4. World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Feb. 23-March 1). Having a match play event might appeal to Tiger as a good warmup, especially at a tournament in which he's the defending champion.

5. Buick Invitational (Feb. 2-8). If Tiger's making great progress in his rehab, he might push to play this event at a course that's been kind to him. But that's a big if. It helps that next year's date has been pushed back a couple of weeks from 2008, in which it was played in late January.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.