Tiger Woods has made his first commitment for the 2017 season after agreeing to play in the Genesis Open at the Riviera club in Los Angeles in February.

The former world No1 finally made his comeback to finish 15th on four-under at the Hero World Challenge this month after a 15-month absence following back surgery. Woods’ foundation is the new host of the event previously known as the Northern Trust Open and which was first played in LA back in 1926.

“I’m very excited to come back to Riviera and compete in the Genesis Open,” said Woods of a tournament that runs from 16-19 February. “This is where it all started for me. It was my first PGA Tour event. I was 16 years old, I weighed about 105 pounds. It was a life-changing moment for me.”

Woods, who has 79 tournament victories in total, three fewer than Sam Snead, has not won on tour since 2013. Other events likely to be considered by him for the coming season include the Farmers Insurance Open in January and staged at Torrey Pines, where he has won eight times, the Waste Management Phoenix Open or the Dubai Desert Classic in early February, and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which takes place the following week.

Woods accepts he needs to play more in order to get his sharpness back and is planning a full schedule in 2017. The 40-year-old has not played in the tournament since 2006. He remains four majors short of equalling Jack Nicklaus’s record tally of 18 and that will be back in his sights when he restarts his season.