Woods Returning Next Week To PGA Tour

The answer to the question golf fans around the world have been waiting eight months to hear was finally delivered Thursday -- the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Next week’s event marks the return of Tiger Woods to competitive golf. Woods’ comeback is welcomed with open arms by the PGA Tour -- while the ’09 season has seen some compelling play so far, ticket sales and TV ratings have struggled mightily since last year’s U.S. Open. It is hard to imagine NBC could have picked a better situation for their first tournament of the season, so long as Tiger makes it to the weekend. Meanwhile, the LPGA sees positive signs from Michelle Wie’s debut as an official member of the tour -- online traffic and TV viewership surrounding last week’s SBS Open reach levels unseen in three years.

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