Tiger Woods will begin his latest comeback alongside Justin Thomas in the opening round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. According to Sky Sports, the tournament host has been paired with the reigning FedExCup champion at Albany for the elite 18-player tournament, which features eight of the world's top 10 players.


Tiger Woods has been out of action since January after undergoing a fourth major back operation.


Woods had struggled on his return to full-field PGA Tour action in January 2017 as he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he managed only one round at the following week's Dubai Desert Classic before his ailing back forced him to withdraw, leading to more surgery.


The 41-year-old has been posting regular video updates of his swing in recent months, although his participation in this week's tournament came as a surprise to many who believed he would not be able to return to competitive golf until deep into 2018.


Meanwhile, defending champion Hideki Matsuyama is scheduled to strike the opening shot of the star-studded event.