Tiger Woods ended a week of speculation and debate over the state of his game by announcing on Friday that he will play next week in the Masters . The 39-year-old played an 18-hole practice round on Tuesday at Augusta National , and Golf Channel said he was seen on the practice range Friday morning at the club . ' I 'm playing in the Masters , ' Woods said on his 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 . ' Scroll down for video . Woods announced on Friday that he will be playing at the Masters in Augusta next week ( above Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on February 5 ) He said : ' I 've worked a lot on my game , and I 'm looking forward to competing . I 'm excited to get to Augusta ' Woods , a four-time Masters champion , last competed at the Farmers Insurance Open on February 5 at Torrey Pines when he walked off the course after 11 holes because of tightness in his lower back , and after another shockingly bad display of chipping . That followed a missed cut at the Phoenix Open , where he shot a career-high 82 . He will have gone nine weeks without competition when he hits his opening tee shot on Thursday at the Masters , which is not unprecedented for Woods . He went nearly five months without playing when he returned in 2010 from a crisis in his personal life that led to one of the greatest downfalls in sport , and he tied for fourth that year . Scrutiny might be even greater this time around . After two trips to Augusta National this week , Woods announced his return to the competition ( above Woods at the Phoenix open on January 30 ) Woods hits a shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National in April 2013 . The last time Woods took an extended break before the Masters , he had won his previous tournament at the Australian Masters . Now , his game has been in disarray over a series of injuries and another change in coaching . Woods has plunged to No . 104 in the world ranking , his lowest spot since a week before his first professional victory in 1996 . He last won a tournament in August 2013 at the Bridgestone Invitational , and he has not had a top ten since the end of 2013 . Woods missed the Masters last year because of back surgery to alleviate a pinched nerve . Four tournaments into his return , he again dealt with back pain and sat out the final four months of the season to fully recover and get stronger . Woods celebrated making the winning putt on the 18th green during the 2005 Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National . But when he returned at his Hero World Challenge in December , he tied for last in an 18-man field and chipped so poorly that some analysts said he had the chipping yips . He would either duff them short or blade them over the green . At the Phoenix Open this year during the pro-am , Woods hit a bunker shot that went over the green and into the first row of bleachers . 'He 's got to go out and probably exorcise some of those demons , ' Paul Azinger , a former PGA champion and ESPN analyst , said Thursday . 'The first little pitch shot he 's got to hit — not chip shot , the first little pitch shot he 's got to hit — will be microanalyzed , and he knows that . There 's a big microscope on that guy . ' I do n't think he 'd show up unless he feels like he solved that problem . ' Woods will be closely watched during the Masters tournament next week , said former PGA champion Paul Azinger ( above Phil Mickelson shakes hands with Woods after he won the Masters in 2005 ) A week after withdrawing in the middle of his round at Torrey Pines , Woods announced that his game and scores were unacceptable and he would not return until he felt he could compete at the highest level . When he skipped the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill , he said he hoped to be ready for the Masters and would continue working . Second-hand reports have ranged from Woods playing well at his home club of The Medalist in South Florida to making five birdies in a round of 74 at Augusta National earlier this week . Next week , he will be playing his first major since turning 39 in December . No player has won more than three major titles beyond his 39th birthday .
Four-time Masters champion made the announcement on Friday . He said he has worked a lot on his game and is excited to compete . Woods last competed on February 5 at the Farmers Insurance Open when he walked off the course because of tightness in his lower back .