Masters 2015: Tiger Woods confirms place at Augusta

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will return to golf to take part in the 79th Masters at Augusta later this month.

Fourteen-time major winner Woods has been out of action since withdrawing from the Farmers Insurance Open with a back problem in February and a combination of injury and a desperately poor run of form eventually led to him taking an indefinite break from the sport.

The formerly dominant American's presence at the Masters, which begins on 6 April, was questionable in light of that sabbatical and the fact that his mini-break had seen him tumble out of the world's top 100 for the first time since 1996.

However, he has now committed to taking part in a tournament he has won on four previous occasions, the last of which came a decade ago following a playoff victory over Chris DiMarco.

"I'm playing in the Masters," Woods said in a statement released on his official website. "It's obviously very important to me, and I want to be there.

"I've worked a lot on my game and I'm looking forward to competing. I'm excited to get to Augusta and I appreciate everyone's support."

Speculation that Woods would indeed play at this year's Masters was fueled towards the end of last week with agent Mark Steinberg confirming that he played 18 holes during a practice round in Georgia.

Quite what impact Woods will be able to have on the competition proper remains to be seen, however.

He carded a career-worst round of 82 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year, although did previously claim he would only return to the sport if he felt his game had returned to tournament standard.