Woods seeks first win of 2009

Tiger Woods will seek his first victory since returning to competitive golf beginning Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

This will be the third appearance for Woods following his recovery from knee surgery and he has yet to challenge for a win. He was knocked out in the second round of the Accenture Match Play Championship and tied for ninth at the CA Championship.

The Palmer tournament, which Woods has won five times, will be his last test prior to the Masters.

Woods has already equaled in 2009 the number of times he failed to win in 2008. He played just six tournaments in that injury-shortened season and won four times. In 2007, he was a winner seven times in 16 events.

This week’s event is missing the top two players in the FedEx Cup points race — Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson. They are the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour this year.

Nick Watney, Kenny Perry and last week’s winner Retief Goosen, ranked third, fourth and fifth in the points chase, are all competing.

Also on hand this week is Jim Furyk, who led last week’s Transitions Championship after one round and then barely made the 36-hole cut.