Woods officially commits to Quail Hollow Championship

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Tiger Woods will play at Quail Hollow for the fifth time in his career.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Out of golf for five months until the Masters, Tiger Woods is waiting just two weeks to tee it up again.

Woods announced Thursday he will play the Quail Hollow Championship, which begins April 29. It will be his first event this season in which the general public can purchase tickets.

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"I'm excited about competing," he said in a report on his Web site, tigerwoods.com. "It's a wonderful venue, and they always have a great field."

Woods will be making his fifth appearance in the Quail Hollow Championship. He won in 2007 and finished fourth last year, two shots behind Sean O'Hair. He had to miss the 2008 edition due to knee surgery.

Besides his victory in 2007, Woods finished tied for third in 2004 and tied for 11th in 2005.

"It's always been one of my favorite courses," Woods said on his Web site. "I can't wait to go back."

Woods tied for fourth last week at the Masters, a tournament in which weekly badges are secured months in advance, and fans fear losing them if caught showing poor etiquette. Woods received warm applause when he teed off in the first round, and the support was steady throughout the week.

Kym Hougham, tournament director for the Charlotte event, said they've been preparing for Woods' possible participation for some time, and will need to make only slight tweaks with security plans.

"I think our crowds are very respectful and they always have been. The players have always told us that," Hougham said. "If there is inappropriate behavior, we'll act on it swiftly. I'm sure that if Tiger didn't feel we could handle it he wouldn't be coming here."

The early commitment was a sign that Woods plans to be helpful to the promotion of tournaments. The commitment deadline for Quail Hollow is April 23.

"It's going to be a huge benefit for the people who have been waiting to buy tickets," Hougham said. "Ironically, our Saturday daily tickets sold out yesterday. Friday and Sunday are not far behind, so this will probably put us over the top, which we're excited about. The economy has made people change their buying habits and people are waiting longer."

Woods has played the Quail Hollow Championship four times, winning in 2007. He finished fourth last year, two shots behind Sean O'Hair.

Tournament media director Lee Patterson said the media credential request deadline was April 2, and there were at 72 outlets on Thursday. Patterson said they'll make room for reporters with PGA TOUR national badges.

It's uncertain what Woods' pre-tournament plans will be, and how often he'll be available to the media.

Woods said after the Masters he was going to take some times to evaluate before deciding on his next event.

"One day I heard he was coming, then one day I heard he wasn't coming," said Hougham, who attended the Masters. "It really didn't matter to us at that point because we had to plan as if he was. Then if he didn't come we wouldn't have to implement a few things.

"We're happy he let us know this far in advance. We never had this much notice. It's great for the city of Charlotte. Ticket sales I'm sure will increase now."

Woods' commitment also means three of the top-six ranked players in the world are scheduled to compete -- Woods (No. 1), Lee Westwood (No. 4) and Jim Furyk (No. 6).

"We are very happy to have Tiger coming back," Hougham said. "Although we did not know if he was going to be able to make it this year, we have been preparing for another strong field and we are glad he will be a part of the Quail Hollow Championship again this year."

Daily tickets for Saturday are sold out but other packages are still available. Ticket prices remain the same and include parking and shuttle service to and from the golf course. A weekly book is $140; Practice Packs (Monday through Wednesday) is $25, Thursday (1st round) is $40; Friday (2nd round) is $40 and Sunday (Final Round) is $50. Patrons can also purchase tickets at the tournament's South Park Mall kiosk. See the tournament website for details.

Champions for Education, a non-profit host organization, manages and operates the Quail Hollow Championship. As a result of the tournament, Champions for Education's impact on charity has been awareness and over $11 million the past seven years.