Tiger Woods will make his highly anticipated return to professional golf next month at the Masters.

In a statement released Tuesday, Woods said he will play at Augusta National for the Masters that begins on April 8.

Woods has not missed the Masters in his 13 years of professional golf and in his statement said, "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta."

Woods went on to say, "The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played."

By returning to play at the Masters, Woods will skip next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational which he has won the last two years, as well as the Tavistock Cup.

Woods said, "When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments and I look forward to competing in them again."

Although Woods is returning to competition he says he still has a lot of work to do saying,  "I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."

Woods has not played the game since Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters. Later that month he crashed his car outside his Florida home which started revelations of marital infidelity.