More than any other golf tournament, the Masters has a way of warming the spirit and tantalizing the soul.

It is the first major of the season on the PGA Tour, a tournament steeped in Southern charm and tradition, a place where the ghosts of Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer can be felt walking the emerald-green fairways and generating spine-tingling roars that reverberate through the hills and valleys of the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Since 1997, no modern-day player has stirred the echoes or bloomed as brilliant as the azaleas in Amen Corner than Tiger Woods. With four green jackets in 14 years as a professional and 82 worldwide victories, Mr. Woods, 34, arrives each spring at Augusta National amid tremendous expectation and boundless anticipation -- a professional dynamic that begins the moment he turns off Washington Road and makes the drive down Magnolia Lane.

But it will be nothing like this year.

After a bizarre four months that began with an early-morning car accident and culminated with a televised admission of marital infidelities, Mr. Woods said on Tuesday that he will make his return to competitive golf next month at the Masters -- an event that will threaten to turn the stately shrine of golf into a media circus and likely send television ratings soaring to record levels.

"The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect," Mr. Woods said in a statement, announcing his return. "After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta. The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played."

It was rumored that Mr. Woods, who hasn't played in a competitive event since he won the Australian Masters in November, might play Monday in the Tavistock Cup, an unofficial event between PGA Tour players from two Orlando, Fla., golf communities -- Isleworth and Lake Nona. Mr. Woods lives in Isleworth.

Also, some thought he might return to the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 25-28 at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando and use that event as a tuneup for the Masters. But Mr. Woods decided to skip each tournament, even phoning Mr. Palmer to tell him so, and make his much-anticipated return at the Masters, which begins April 8.

"When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play," Mr. Woods said in his statement.

"We are all disappointed that Tiger isn't going to play our tournament at Bay Hill, but, all things considered, we certainly understand," Mr. Palmer, a Latrobe native, said in a statement. "I talked to Tiger on the phone this morning and he expressed his regrets that he won't be playing here. He said that he really didn't feel his game was sharp enough to begin competition this early."

Historically, the Masters has always been strict about which news organizations receive credentials -- and how many -- to its event. But, in recent years, the tournament has seen a decline in the number of reporters who cover that event, especially newspapers, because of shrinking travel budgets.

Nonetheless, any news or media entertainment organization that hasn't already requested credentials will not gain admittance to the event, even after Mr. Woods' announcement, said Steve Ethun, director of communications at Augusta National.

"Our credential application deadline passed on Feb. 1," Mr. Ethun said. "No additional credentials will be allocated."

The tightly controlled environment at the Masters will likely help Mr. Woods avoid questions about his marriage and personal life, each of which has been magnified since he crashed his car into a tree in the early morning hours of Nov. 27 in his neighborhood in Windermere, Fla.

That set off a whirlwind of allegations about sexual trysts and marital infidelity that eventually led to Mr. Woods making a televised public apology last month that was aired by every network and cable news outlet.

During that apology, Mr. Woods admitted he has been receiving inpatient therapy for addiction, though he has never said for what type of addiction. Mr. Woods has recently started working on his golf game again with swing coach Hank Haney.

The New York Post even ran a photograph Tuesday of Mr. Woods walking with his wife, Elin, on the property of their home in their gated golf community. It was the first time the couple have been photographed together since Mr. Woods' car accident in the early morning hours following Thanksgiving.

"We support Tiger's decision to return to competitive golf at this year's Masters tournament," Masters chairman Billy Payne said in a statement. "Additionally, we support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life."

Some of Mr. Woods' fellow players on the PGA Tour said they are glad to see him return to the game he has dominated as the No. 1 player in the world.

"I think it's great for the game," said 2008 Masters champ Trevor Immelman. "It's tough for a sport when your No. 1 player is not participating and we've had a few years now with the knee injury and this where he's missed the majority of the season."

"I think it's great," said Bubba Watson, who often practices with Mr. Woods. "It means his family and he and everybody think he's got his life where it needs to be and now he's just working on his game."

Oakmont Country Club golf professional Bob Ford was having lunch Tuesday in the dining room at Augusta National when news that Mr. Woods would return at the Masters was flashed on the television.

Mr. Ford, who is also head professional at Seminole Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., not far from the 9,700-square-foot mansion Mr. Woods is building on Jupiter Island, played several practice rounds with the world's No. 1 player before the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2007.

"I'm glad to see him come back," Mr. Ford said. "It will be good for the game of golf and I hope it helps him get everything back together."

During his 13-minute public apology Feb. 19, Mr. Woods expressed regret for his off-course behavior and said he would try to be more respectful of the game -- something veteran golfer Tom Watson accused him of not being because of his on-course tantrums and salty language.

Throughout the ordeal, Nike is one of the few sponsors to stick with Mr. Woods. Gatorade, Accenture and AT&T were among the sponsors who dropped him after revelations of his infidelity.

"We were pleased to learn that Tiger Woods will be playing the Masters in a few weeks," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement. "He has invested a lot of time taking steps, both in his personal and professional life, in order to prepare for his return. We all wish him and his family the best as he rejoins the tour."

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