Analysing Tiger Woods' Best Options for First Tournament of 2015

Tiger Woods has yet to confirm where he will start 2015, but he told ESPN.com's Bob Harig that he is planning a "pretty full schedule."

Woods finished 2014 by marking his return from another injury layoff with a last-place finish in the Hero World Challenge last week.

After missing the majority of 2014 with back problems, Woods will want to ensure he is on the golf course much more often over the next 12 months, particularly now that he is working with new swing coach Chris Como. But where will he start?

Woods has already ruled out playing in the opening event of 2015, which starts on Jan. 9. When NBC Sports announcer Dan Hicks asked Woods about his schedule and where he will start, Woods replied, per The Associated Press, via PGATour.com, "It won't be the Tournament of Champions."

With that in mind, the Sony Open in Hawaii the following week appears unlikely, as does the Humana Challenge, which is a tournament Woods has never played in. It has been more than 10 years since he played at the Phoenix Open, so the obvious starting point on the PGA Tour is the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

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Woods has won the event seven times, most recently in 2013, and Torrey Pines was the location of his last major triumph, the 2008 U.S. Open.

However, the Farmers Insurance Open begins a fortnight later than usual, meaning February would be a late start to Woods' year.

Harig writes that the Farmers Insurance Open "would seem a logical tournament to put on the schedule."

The other options for his first start appear to be the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which starts on Jan. 15, and the Dubai Desert Classic a fortnight later.

Woods is a two-time winner of the Dubai Desert Classic, in 2006 and 2008.

He started both 2012 and 2013 with appearances in the Abu Dhabi tournament, finishing tied for third and missing the cut, respectively.

When asked where 2015 will begin, Woods told reporters after his final round at the Hero World Challenge, per Harig, "It's a pretty full schedule, I'll leave it at that.”

It would be a surprise, then, if Woods waited until February to get 2015 underway with an appearance at Torrey Pines.

Instead, a trip to the United Arab Emirates looks a strong option before he bids for another Farmers Insurance Open title.