Tiger Woods will play in the Masters

He's in.

Tiger Woods announced Friday that he will play in next week's Masters.

"I'm playing in the Masters," Woods said on his website. "It's obviously very important to me, and I want to be there.

"I've worked a lot on my game and I'm looking forward to competing. I'm excited to get to Augusta and I appreciate everyone's support."

Woods arrived at Augusta National on Friday for a second practice round this week, coming on the heels of a reported 2-over 74 in a Tuesday practice round. It's unclear what Woods did on the Augusta National grounds on Friday and what influence that practice may have had in his decision.

The 14-time major winner hasn't played competitively since Feb. 5, when he withdrew after 11 holes in Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open. He was 2 over when he withdrew, citing back pain. On Feb. 11, Woods announced on his website he would take a hiatus from the game, not playing again until his game was "tournament ready." Woods skipped The Honda Classic in his hometown of Jupiter, Fla., didn't qualify for the WGC-Cadillac Championship and did not play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a tournament he has won eight times.

Woods has four Masters victories, but hasn't won the tournament since a 2005 playoff victory over Chris DiMarco. However, when Woods has been healthy, in decade since that win, he has been a contender. In his last eight Masters starts, Woods has finished outside the top six just once, when he finished T-40 in 2012.