( CNN ) -- He 's been out of competitive action for most of 2014 , but Tiger Woods will return to golf next week . Woods , who underwent back surgery to repair a pinched nerve in March , will play at his own Quicken Loans National event at the Congressional Country Club as he begins his preparations for the third major of the season -- the British Open . `` After a lot of therapy I have recovered well and will be supporting my foundation next week at the Quicken Loans National , '' said Woods on his Facebook page . `` I 've just started to hit full shots but it 's time to take the next step . I will be a bit rusty but I want to play myself back into competitive shape . Excited for the challenge ahead . '' Woods was forced to miss The Masters in April as well as the U.S. Open in June as the 14-time major champion recovered from surgery . The 38-year-old 's last major victory came at the 2008 U.S. Open . He has now missed six major championships through injury , his absence at Augusta the first time he 'd not been at the Masters since making his debut there as an amateur in 1995 . Stuck on 14 majors since 2008 , Woods has two more chances this season to close in on Jack Nicklaus ' record haul of 18 . Staged at Hoylake in north west England this year , the Open starts on 17 July . McIlroy misses cut . Days after saying he would represent Ireland -- not Great Britain -- at the 2016 Olympics in Rio , Rory McIlroy failed to make the cut at the Irish Open . A poor first round of 3-over-par 74 immediately put McIlroy under pressure and even with a 2-under 69 Friday , he missed out on the weekend 's action . McIlroy -- the highest-ranked golfer in the field at No . 6 -- needed to hit an eagle on the final hole to make the cut but could only produce a birdie . `` It 's very frustrating , '' McIlroy , who also missed the cut in 2013 , told the European Tour 's website . `` To make six birdies and an eagle and shoot just two under means there were a lot of mistakes and wasteful shots . `` I just need to tighten it all up and become a lot more consistent , make the bad shots a little bit better and not be as wasteful around the greens . If I can do that , I know my game is right there . I 've got a couple weeks off now to work on my game a little bit , play some links golf and get ready for the Scottish Open and the ( British ) Open . '' Finland 's Mikko Ilonen leads by two shots .
Tiger Woods says he has recovered from back injury . Woods will make his competitive return at the Quicken Loans National . The 38-year-old Woods missed The Masters and the U.S. Open . The third major of the season -- the British Open -- starts on July 17 .