Tiger Woods has announced that he will defend his title at the ZOZO Championship in Sherwood from October 22-25, 2020, paving the way for a potentially historic week on the PGA TOUR.

ZOZO Championship: Woods vows to defend title at Sherwood

Tiger Woods - © PGA Tour

Woods said: “I am very excited to defend my title at the ZOZO Championship. It's disappointing that we can't play in Japan this year, but the Sherwood Country Club will be a great backdrop for what I know is a great championship. "

Eleven months ago, the American golf legend tied the longtime record of Sam Snead, who achieved 82 career PGA TOUR victories, securing a three-stroke victory in the inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP contested. at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan.

In front of large stands, Woods led the tournament from start to finish to beat Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, while Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and Korean Sungjae Im shared third place in the star-studded tournament which announced the Japan's first official PGA TOUR event.

Earlier this month, officials of the PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. announced that the ZOZO Championship would not be played in Japan this year due to logistical issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it would take place. instead at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.

Sherwood is a Signature Course designed by Jack Nicklaus and was the site of Woods' Hero World Challenge from 2000 to 2013. Woods has an impressive track record at Sherwood where he won his own event five times (2001, 2004) , 2006, 2007 and 2011) and finished second on five other occasions, suggesting that the ZOZO Championship 2020 could give Woods an unprecedented 83rd PGA TOUR title.

Kotaro Sawada, President and CEO of ZOZO, Inc. said “We are delighted that our defending champion Tiger Woods has made a commitment to compete in the ZOZO Championship next October. His memorable victory at the inaugural tournament in Japan last year was truly historic. While we hope to see Tiger playing in Japan again next year, we look forward to seeing him lead another amazing course at Sherwood, and to see him continue to play brilliantly and rewrite golf history. We believe our tournament can continue to inspire sports fans and viewers who follow the action closely with broadcasts in Japan, the United States and around the world. "

The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will feature 78 professionals, including the best FedExCup 2019-20 players, players nominated by the Japan Golf Tour organization and sponsorship exemptions. In addition to the $ 8 million endowment, ZOZO, Inc. is planning various charitable activities in Japan, the proceeds of which will go to fund programs and measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, among other initiatives.

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To read our last article on the same subject :

Zozo Championship: Tiger Woods ties Snead record with 82nd win