Golf: Woods delays return to recharge batteries

Tiger Woods will begin his season at the Buick Invitational (Jan. 26-29) in La Jolla, California after skipping his usual early-season event to "recharge my batteries".

The world number one, who took his tally of major wins to 10 last season with victories at the US Masters and British Open, is skipping the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii where he usually tees off his campaign for the year.

"I played a full schedule this year and never took an extended break. I need some time to recharge my batteries, let my body heal and hang out with family and friends," he said on his website.

Woods' next tournament will be the Dubai Desert Classic (Feb. 2-5) which is part of the European Tour.

In the meantime, he turns 30 on Dec. 30.

"Although my friends keep reminding me, it hasn't really sunk in yet," he said.

"I don't feel old but I have been grinding on the PGA Tour for almost 10 years, which is pretty scary.

"I never thought I'd win 10 major championships in my 20s because that's never happened before. Hopefully, my best years are still ahead of me.

- REUTERS