Return of Emperor Woods

Resting after knee surgery, Tiger “the Emperor” Woods, 33, publicly commented on his return for the first time.

Woods expects to participate in the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament where K.J. Choi won the title last year. And people are paying attention.

Woods underwent surgery on April 16. In a teleconference yesterday, he said that his rehabilitation was going smoothly, and that he is practicing chip shots and putts. He joked that he was tired of bicycling. He also predicted he would resume his normal practice schedule soon.

According to his announcement, Woods will compete in the Memorial Tournament slated for May 29 at Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio, United States in preparation for the U.S. Open next month.

The Memorial Tournament is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, whom Woods admired when he was young. It was there Choi won the championship at 17-under par, while Woods fell short at nine under par, ranking 15th overall.

Early this season, Woods swiped three PGA Tour championships. But the winning march was dashed due to his knee surgery. As a result, he missed the Wachovia Championship, which he won last year, and the Players Championship, which ended on Monday.

In the former, Anthony Kim, 23, came out on top, and Sergio Garcia won the latter. Following his victory, Garcia joked, “I thank Woods for his absence. It was much easier without him.”

kjs0123@donga.com