We’re in for a fun week in Albany, Bahamas, for the 2023 Hero World Challenge. Why? The GOAT is back.

Tiger Woods is returning to professional golf for the first time since the Masters earlier this year, a tournament where he made the cut but withdrew on Sunday morning due to aggravating his plantar fasciitis.

Ten days later, Woods announced that he had undergone “a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture.”

After staying away for months, we’ve seen Woods start to return to the spotlight. He caddied for his son, Charlie, for four days while carrying the bag and walking — without a limp — every step of the way. His short course at Pebble Beach opened. So, he’s been around.

Hero: How to watch Tiger Woods | Thursday tee times

But we’ve all been waiting for him to tee it up once again, and that moment will come Thursday at the Hero, an event put on by his TGR Foundation.

Joining the 15-time major champion in the field are 19 other highly-ranked players, including his good buddy Justin Thomas, two-time defending champion Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa and Rickie Fowler.

Woods isn’t the only player returning from an extended layoff. Will Zalatoris, who suffered a back injury at the 2022 BMW Championship and later withdrew before the 2023 Masters, will make his first start in eight months after undergoing back surgery in April.

Golf course

Albany Golf Course | Par 72 | 7,449 yards

The pin flag blows in the wind on the ninth green during the second round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 02, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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