Tiger Woods Nearing Return

Tiger Woods hasn't played a professional round of golf since last August at the Wyndham Championship. But it looks like we could see the 14-time Major champion back on the course sooner rather than later.

Woods has reportedly taken his practice routine to the next level at his home course of Medalist Golf Club. Golf Channel insider Tim Rosaforte reported that Woods has been playing some holes in "four-to-five hour practice sessions." Rosaforte was told that Woods "looked great, was talking to everybody in an upbeat mood, couldn’t have been happier.”

This is a huge step to having Woods return to the PGA Tour. The fact that he is now healthy enough to play for that amount of time combined with the late announcement saying he wouldn't play in the Masters, tells us that he's close.

The next step is to play consistent practice rounds and tune up his game. With the U.S. Open starting June 16th at Oakmont, it seems likely that may be the tournament in which he returns, but only time will tell.