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Tiger Woods is ready to tee it up this week in his first tournament round since The Genesis Open in February.

Good friend Justin Thomas, coming off of a playoff defeat on the same Muirfield Village course on Sunday, is excited to have Woods back in the mix. The Memorial begins Thursday.



“I think he was starting to get a little sassy. I was telling him he’s scared to come out and play against all of us when he’s sitting at home, just trying to give him a hard time,” joked Thomas at the Workday Charity Open.

Woods played in The Match charity event with partner Peyton Manning in Florida in May at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., where the twosome downed Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

No. 14 in the World Golf Rankings behind Workday Charity Open winner Collin Morikawa, Woods has endured extended absences from tour golf before, largely due to injuries.

He said last week he’s ready to return at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event in Dublin, Ohio, an event won by Woods five times. His most recent victory at the Memorial was in 2012.

This is the first time the Memorial has had the entire top five in the World Golf Rankings in the field since 2016. Of the group, No. 1 Rory McIlroy has had the most success, with four top 10s.



Woods, 44, has played in the tournament 17 times, with nine top-10 finishes. He finished tied for ninth in 2019.

Patrick Cantlay is the defending champion.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)