Tiger Woods announced Wednesday he intends to compete in the Genesis Invitational, the tournament he annually hosts at Riviera Country Club.

The event tees off Feb. 15 in Pacific Palisades, California. This will be Woods' first PGA Tour action since the Hero World Challenge in early December.

Golf fans will once again remain cautiously optimistic about Woods' availability. Nobody expects the 48-year-old to handle a full-time schedule, but seeing him in the four major tournaments and a few PGA Tour showpieces would be a welcome change.

Last season, Woods competed in the Genesis Invitational and entered the Masters but withdrew midway through the third round. His next appearance didn't come until the Hero World Challenge.

The 15-time major champion told reporters in November he was tentatively setting the goal of one tournament per month in 2024.

"I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a step in that direction," he said in reference to the Hero World Challenge. "I'm just as curious as all of you are to see what happens. … I don't have any of the pain that I had at Augusta or pre that in my ankle."

Woods went on to place 18th in the 20-player field in the Bahamas. He dug himself into an early hole by going three over in the opening round and wound up finishing at even par.

Nobody will be more closely followed at the Genesis Invitational than the golf legend because his performance could go a long way toward pointing in the direction of his Masters status.