Noted Golf Enthusiast Tiger Woods Will Play WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Aug. 4

LeBron James has been busy showing off his rooting allegiances this week. On Wednesday, it was Tim Tebow, who LeBron felt the need to stick up for after the Broncos’ quarterback took heat in the media. On Thursday, LeBron turned to Tiger Woods, and offered this tweet in support of the fallen golfer.

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The Herald-Sun newspaper says Tiger Woods will sign to play the Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club from November 10-13, a move that could be a precursor to Woods playing in the Presidents Cup.

Woods will headline a field that already includes World No. 7 Dustin Johnson, No. 8 Jason Day and No. 13 Bubba Watson (No.13) as well as defending champion Geoff Ogilvy and Presidents Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples.

Tiger Woods is coming back to the PGA next week to play in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, according to a tweet from the man himself:

Tiger Woods’ swing coach, Sean Foley, says that Woods still is not hitting golf balls, and that he doesn’t know when Woods will begin playing again.

Woods’ return from knee and Achilles injuries seems to be dragging on forever, and that might continue, particularly given the scarcity of events for him to play in as the summer ends. It now looks unlikely that he’ll play in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron next week, and if he isn’t yet hitting, I would wonder about his return to play in the NB3 Challenge at the end of August, as well.

Rumors have been gathering that Tiger Woods may make his return to the PGA Tour at this year’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational. The tournament runs from August 3rd through the 7th at Akron, Ohio’s Firestone Country Club.

Woods -- who recently dropped out of the world’s top twenty rankings for the first time since January 1997 -- has until July 29th, 5:00 p.m. ET to announce whether or not he will participate in the event. In past years the 35-year old has dominated the Bridgestone Invitational, winning seven of its 12 showings, including a 2000 victory in which Woods finished at with a course record, 21-under par.

The event was originally scheduled for July 5th. However, when Woods pulled out due to injuries, it was postponed.

There was no official announcement regarding Woods return to PGA events, but it’s an encouraging sign. The Challenge takes place the week before the PGA Championship.

On Monday, at 11 A.M. Eastern time, Tiger Woods was scheduled to hold some kind of press conference to make an announcement on the Golf Channel. This lead to rampant speculation across the internet and media world, with many predicting that Tiger was set to announce that he was done for the 2011 season. Except there’s a catch, and that catch is that Tiger Woods isn’t going to be making an announcement after all.

According to Tiger’s agent Mark Steinberg, no such announcement is set to happen. The Golf Channel had a tweet about the announcement earlier, but it has since been deleted. Of course, this will likely lead to more speculation (Another doctor gave him a more optimistic opinion? He bought some magic fairy dust?), but the fact is that none of the media or general public really has any idea what this announcement, if it was ever a thing, was going to be about and how healthy Tiger is at this point in time.

Sunday evening, the Golf Channel announced Tiger Woods would be stopping by to make an announcement the following morning at 11 am ET. Hopefully Woods will announce he’s buying the Golf Channel and turning its Twitter account into another account of his own, which would mean fewer announcements about announcements.

Your guess is as good as ours, unless your guesses don’t include “Maybe he’s retiring!” and “Maybe he’s going to play the British Open!” and “Maybe he’s going to sit out the rest of the year!” We didn’t actually exclaim any of that stuff.

Tiger Woods has already missed most of the current PGA season with injuries, and on Tuesday, he announced he will sit out the 2011 British Open due to injury.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been advised that I should not play in the British Open,” Woods said a press release on his website Tuesday. “As I stated at the AT&T National, I am only going to come back when I’m 100 percent ready. I do not want to risk further injury. That’s different for me, but I’m being smarter this time. I’m very disappointed and want to express my regrets to the British Open fans.”

So this is how far Tiger Woods has fallen. In the aftermath of his off-course problems, which included extramarital affairs and a rehab stint -- Woods lost endorsements and sponsorship opportunities. His incidents were so out of character and a break from the brand he’d established, many of those who stood by him through thick and thin slowly backed away. But on Tuesday, for the first time since the scandal, Woods picked up a new endorsement deal.

Vantelin Kowa, a Japanese company that specializes in pain creams and patches, has hired Woods to do endorsement work, including making appearances in advertisements, according to CNBC’s Darren Rovell.

Tiger Woods has played just nine holes of competitive golf since the Masters, was forced to pull out of the Players Championship, did not play in the U.S. Open and now looks doubtful for the British Open on July 14-17. He did not rule out playing in the tournament he has won three times, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that his injured left knew and left Achilles’ tendon will be healthy enough to tee off at Royal St. George’s.

During a press conference for this week’s AT&T National, Woods said he had not hit any golf balls since his injury. Woods initially hurt himself at the Masters.

Tiger Woods has been kept out of action in recent weeks due to leg injuries. The world’s former No. 1 golfer had hoped to return for the AT&T Nationall on June 30th, but on Wednesday, he tweeted that he will not play in the event.

Woods, a noted golf enthusiast, declined to participate in the U.S. Open for the same reason. Apparently two extra weeks, in his doctor’s estimation, didn’t give his injuries ample time to heal.

When Tiger Woods pulled out of the Players Championship just about a month ago, many of us wondered whether he’d actually be back in time for the U.S. Open, golf’s second major. And in a foreshadowing moment, Andrew Sharp wondered what kind of affect Woods skipping the U.S. Open would have on ticket sales at Congressional.

Turns out, he was pretty much spot-on.

Tiger Woods announced via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that he will not join the field at the 2011 U.S. Open. On his website, Woods elaborated on the nature of his injuries, and announced that he hopes to participate in the AT&T National.

The AT&T National, which Woods won in 2009, will begin on July 3rd. Since the U.S. Open begins on June 19th, this will give the noted golf enthusiast approximately two extra weeks to recover from his leg injuries.

Tiger Woods, who had hoped to overcome his injuries and compete in the 2011 U.S. Open, announced Tuesday afternoon that he will not play at Congressional Country Club. Woods announced his decision via his Twitter account.

Woods, a three-time winner of the U.S. Open and noted golf enthusiast, has not played since withdrawing from the Players Championship on May 12th. He had struck a hopeful tone in recent weeks, espousing hopes that his MCL injury would be given enough recovery time to allow him to play in the Open.

Tiger Woods has announced that he still plans to play in the 2011 U.S. Open from June 16-19, despite re-aggravating knee and achilles injuries during the 2011 Players Championship on May 6.

Woods said during a press conference at the AT&T National in Philadelphia that he is still resting his injuries, which caused him to withdraw from the Players Championship after nine holes. He has not been able to practice much while injured, but he plans on beginning strength training next week. He acknowledged the possibility that his recovery would not go smoothly, but reaffirmed his desire to play at Congressional.

On Wednesday, Tiger Woods, who is recovering from both knee and Achilles injuries, vowed he’d be ready for the 2011 U.S. Open in June. On Friday, he took a big step in that direction when he committed to THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, next weekend’s PGA event (May 12-15).

Tiger made the announcement himself via Twitter:

Tiger Woods hasn’t set a firm date for a return for golf, but he will be back for the 2011 U.S. Open, he said in an interview with CSN Washington. Woods is resting as he recovers from a left knee injury sustained at The Masters that will keep him out of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. His status for The Players Championship is still up in the air, though we should know if he plans to play at TPC Sawgrass by Friday.

Woods said he had “a little hitch in the giddy-up” but that his injury is healing up nicely as he takes a few weeks off from golf. He said he’s just taking a little time off as a precaution, but didn’t sound too concerned about the long-term prognosis. The walking boot Woods has been wearing is simply a precaution, though he admits it’s “not comfortable ... not a cool thing.”

Tiger Woods will miss the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow next week due to injury to same left knee that’s plagued him throughout his career. Woods announced the injury on Tuesday, though he cautioned it’s only minor and skipping the tournament is a precautionary measure. While hitting a shot from under the Eisenhower Tree on hole No. 17 during the third round of The Masters, Woods tweaked his knee, though he finished the tournament strong with a front-nine 31 on Sunday.

Many are, understandably, concerned about Woods’ durability after several knee injuries have plagued him throughout his career. His left knee was rebuilt in 2009 and he’s only now returning to form after a variety of on- and off-course problems. Another setback could derail his chances of making a run at Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major wins.

Tiger Woods is suffering from a mild medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee, as well as a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon, he announced Tuesday on his website. The injury will force him to miss this weekends Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

Tiger suffered the injury during a shot at the Masters more than two weeks ago. On hole No. 17, Tiger played a “difficult and awkward” shot from the pine needles under the Eisenhower tree on the left side of the fairway. He’s expected to make a return to action in a few weeks, but for now, it’s rest and cold-water therapy, per doctor’s orders, along with soft tissue treatment.