Woods to return to Abu Dhabi to begin season for second straight year

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods plans to start his season in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the European Tour for the second straight year,

The tournament said Wednesday Woods and Rory McIlroy have committed to play Abu Dhabi, which will be Jan. 17-20. That's the same week as the Humana Challenge in the California desert, a PGA Tour event that Woods has never played.

A year ago, Woods was tied with Robert Rock going into the final round, closed with a 72 and tied for third, two shots behind the Englishman. McIlroy was the runner-up.

Woods last year skipped Torrey Pines, where he has won seven times as a pro, to play Abu Dhabi, This year, Torrey Pines is the week after Abu Dhabi, leaving open the possibility that Woods could play.