When - and where - will Tiger Woods make his return to tournament golf? There are conflicting reports out from the Associated Press and USA Today on that question.

The AP's Doug Ferguson writes today:

As part of his rehab from reconstructive knee surgery, Tiger Woods began taking full swings with short clubs in December; assuming there is no swelling or other complications when he resumes a full practice routine, he likely will make his 2009 debut at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana during the last week in February.

So Woods will return at the Match Play in February. But wait, just yesterday USA Today had this to say:

In the short term, Woods intends to go for a fifth green jacket in April. His hope is to play at least one event before that, possibly in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, where he is defending champ, or the World Golf Championships-CA Championship near Miami.

Which is it? The World Match Play in February, or a March return at Bay Hill or the CA Championship? Tiger hasn't indicated anything about specific return dates or locations; both articles appear speculative.

To me, a March return makes more sense than the Match Play in February. For starters, the World Match Play is a difficult event (if you advance, that is): multiple 36-hole days; more golf overall than in any stroke-play tournament; and on a hilly course, too. The World Match Play is near and dear to Tiger's heart, but those conditions are less than ideal for someone returning from knee surgery.

Then there's this: Woods' wife, Elin, is due to give birth to the couple's second child in February. I doubt Tiger will be going anywhere for several weeks after Elin gives birth. And that also argues for a March return.

So let's take a stab at prognostication and predict that Woods will return at the WGC CA Championship on March 12, and then play the Arnold Palmer Invitational beginning March 26. On that schedule, he gets in two tournaments prior to The Masters, and has a week off between each of the three events.

That's the question under study by a group of British doctors, who, in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal, tell the story of a 55-year-old man whose hearing damage they believe might have been caused by his driver.

His golf driver.

We all know that modern drivers - thin-faced, oversized titanium drivers - make a loud sound at impact. It's no longer the crisp "thwack" of the persimmon, or the cool "ping" of the stainless steel. Now, the impact noise is more like a loud bang or pop. An explosive, percussive noise.

Heck, the noise of the driver can even be louder than the noise created by that guy who's always yelling, "get in the hole!" or "you da man!"

But loud enough to cause hearing loss? That question is still under study, but the doctors are concerned enough to warn golfers susceptible to hearing damage to consider wearing earplugs while playing golf.

Read more about the study, including a comparison of the decibels produced by driver/golf ball impacts with the decibels generated by such things as chain saws and jet engines.

The PGA Tour tees off its 2009 schedule this week in Hawaii at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Tiger Woods won't be there. He's skipped this event a few times recently anyway, but this season he's home recuperating from major knee surgery.

When will he return? The rumor mill, grapevine and water cooler chatter says Woods is determined to play in The Masters, and would like to play a tournament or two prior to reaching Augusta to shake off the rust.

And whenever Woods gets back into competition, what will his level of play be?

The last time Woods missed significant time was 2006, when his father died. Woods missed more than two months, then missed the cut at the U.S. Open when he returned. But what happened after that? Read more...

It's a brand new year, and the PGA Tour is ready to tee off a brand new season. The Mercedes-Benz Championship opens the 2009 PGA Tour schedule on Thursday at Kapalua in Hawaii.

This winners-only event - which began in 1953 as the Tournament of Champions - will be minus a couple big names. Tiger Woods, of course, remains out of action recovering from knee surgery; and Phil Mickelson is skipping the Mercedes, as he usually does. But the 33-player field does include the likes of Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim.

See our Mercedes-Benz Championship profile page for the full list of past champions and more tourney info and trivia.

Tournaments scheduled around the world this week include: Read more...