Woods is hoping to put a tumultuous five years behind him, having been plagued by back problems and even ending up in rehab after encountering addiction issues with prescription pain-killers.
However, he returned to action in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge earlier this month and completed four rounds of golf apparently pain-free.
And now he has revealed that he will head to Los Angeles in six weeks’ time to take part on the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club.
“It’s such an historic site and the course will always have special meaning for me,” Woods said.
“That’s where it all started back in 1992 when I played in my first PGA Tour event at age 16
“My foundation now runs the tournament and it will be great to return to my old stomping grounds.
“I greatly appreciate Genesis’s support of the event and the [Tiger Woods Foundation].”
But Woods stopped short of committing to any further tournaments such as the Masters in April – he has not managed a top-10 finish at a major championship since 2013.
“I would love to play a full schedule in 2018,” Woods added.
“What that entails, including back-to-back events, I don’t know.
“I just have to continue to work on my body and game and see where I pan out.
“I wish I knew where I was going to play and when I was going to play – it’s a lot easier to prep for that – but we really don’t know.
“This is all unchartered territory.
“My swing is definitely shorter and I can’t turn as far. My back is fused and that’s as far as it’s going to go. But I was surprised at how explosive I was [during his return at Hero World Challenge].
“And on top of that, how well I putted. I had been rolling it well at home, but it’s totally different when you have adrenalin in your system.
“I’m more than a full-club longer than when I shut it down.
“I wasn’t hitting it very far and was struggling to hit it solid. That’s a bad combo.
“I appreciate competitive golf now more than I ever have.
“During that 10-month period I was away from the game, I had a hard time walking and often needed assistance getting out of bed.”