Ten months after nearly losing his right leg in a near-fatal car crash, Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf next week, playing alongside his 12-year-old son Charlie in the PNC Championship.

“Although it’s been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie,” Woods tweeted.

“I’m playing as a dad and couldn’t be more excited and proud.”

It will be his first competition – in a tournament Woods described last week as the “hit-and-giggle” variety that he can play – since he and his son tied for seventh a year ago in the unofficial event that pairs family members.

Tweet from @TigerWoods

The tournament was holding a spot for Woods, and he fuelled speculation he might play the December 18-19 event at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club Orlando when he took full swings with a driver on Saturday and Sunday during his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

“We have been liaising with Tiger and his team for some time and are delighted that he has now decided to make his return to competitive golf at the PNC Championship,” the event’s executive chairman Alastair Johnston said.

Woods was driving to a Los Angeles course for a television shoot on February 23 when he crashed. Police say he was driving about 135km/h along a winding, coastal suburban road when his four-wheel-drive crashed through a barrier and plunged down a hill.

Doctors said he shattered the tibia and fibula bones in his right leg in multiple locations. Those were stabilised by a rod in the tibia. A combination of screws and pins were used to stabilise additional injuries in the ankle and foot.

Woods said last week that amputation was considered. He declined to discuss specifics of the crash, saying only “you can read about all that there in the police report”.

The PNC Championship was known as the Father-Son Challenge until it changed the title to be more inclusive of family members.

For the first time in its 24 years, the tournament has a current No.1 player in the field, Nelly Korda. She will play with her father Petr, the former Australian Open tennis champion.

Still, this will become all about Woods inside the ropes, hitting shots that count towards a score.

A year ago, it was his last event before a fifth back surgery, not as serious as the previous ones.

Towards the end of the second round, he was not hitting some tee shots because his son played from a forward tee and was getting it out there farther than Tiger himself could have hit it.

Fans will return to the Florida course, which is already close to a sellout because organisers have limited ticket sales.

-AAP