Golf-Woods to play PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines

Jan 4 ( Reuters) - Tiger Woods will launch his official comeback at the Farmers Insurance Open this month, the PGA Tour event announced on Wednesday.

Woods had been widely expected to start his season at the Jan. 26-29 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in southern California, an event he has won seven times.

He also captured the 2008 U.S. Open there on one of his favorite layouts.

The former world number one had already committed to the Feb. 16-19 Genesis Open at storied Riviera and announced on Wednesday that he would also tee it up the following week at his hometown tournament, the Honda Classic in south Florida.

The 41-year-old American has not played an official money event since Aug. 2015, due to a lengthy recuperation from back surgery.

Woods was scheduled to return at the first event of the 2016-17 season in northern California in October, but pulled out three days beforehand, saying his game was not ready.

The 14-times major champion subsequently made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event, in the Bahamas in December where he finished 15th in an 18-man field.

Woods has not publicly announced his full schedule leading up to April's Masters, the first major of the year.

But in confirming three events he is clearly planning to get plenty of tournament rounds under his belt before his tilt at a fifth green jacket in Augusta.

Woods is expected to play the March 16-19 Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, an event he has won a record eight times.

He could also add one more tournament to his schedule before the Masters. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina. Editing by Steve Keating.)