Tiger Woods makes it official: He’s playing Wyndham

Tiger Woods is coming to the Wyndham Championship this week in Greensboro, looking to resurrect his golf game and keep his PGA Tour year going by qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Woods, who has tumbled to 286th in the World Golf Ranking, confirmed Monday that he would compete in the Wyndham at Sedgefield Country Club. It will be his first appearance in the PGA Tour event, won last year by Camilo Villegas.

Woods signed up for the Wyndham on Friday just before the PGA Tour deadline for commitments. That came during the PGA Championship, when Woods was one of the players left on the course Friday at Whistling Straits when the second round was postponed by threatening weather.

Still, there were some doubts Woods actually would play Greensboro. After finishing up his second round Saturday, missing the 36-hole cut in the PGA, he said he would think it over a few days and then let Wyndham officials know of his plans.

Woods, who had back surgery last year and continues to struggle with another swing change, has played just 10 tour events this year but has a chance to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs. He is 187th in FedEx Cup points and likely will need to win the Wyndham and pick up 500 points for the victory to qualify.

A solo second-place finish would earn 300 points, which may be enough for him to finish in the top 125 and qualify in the final tournament before the playoffs. Woods is 292 points behind former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who is 125th on the points list.

Woods has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, his fifth victory of that year. He tied for 17th in the Masters this year but failed to make the cut in the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA, marking the first time he has missed the cut in three consecutive major championships.

Woods’ last tournament appearance in the state was at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, where he missed the cut. He did not compete in the 2014 U.S. Open in Pinehurst as he recovered from the back surgery.

Woods was never a factor at Whistling Straits, missing the cut by two shots after rounds of 75 and 73. Asked Saturday about the state of his game, he told the media, “It just takes time. I hadn’t played that much the last couple years, and I’m finally able to start playing. And unfortunately, I’m missing out on, potentially missing out on the playoffs. But I still have a lot of golf left.”

Woods said his PGA Tour year “may be coming to a close” but left the door open for going to Greensboro.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Tiger Woods makes it official: He’s playing Wyndham."