Tiger Woods Commits to Play in First Two 2018 FedEx Cup Tournaments

The FedEx Cup will have a healthy dose of Tiger Woods.

According to Bob Harig of ESPN.com, Woods has "committed to play the first two FedEx Cup playoff events and is virtually assured of qualifying for the third." 

The two confirmed events are the Northern Trust, which will be held from Aug. 23 to Aug. 26, and the Dell Technologies Championship, which will be played from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

Woods is sitting at 47th in the FedEx Cup standings and will only need to be ranked in the top 70 to qualify for the BMW Championship (Sept. 6-9).

As Harig noted, "If he were to play all three events, it would be the first time since returning in 2018 from his fourth back surgery that Woods, 42, plays three consecutive weeks."

After several injury-plagued years, Woods has looked solid this season. Though he missed the cut at the U.S. Open in June, he's since finished fourth at the Quicken Loans National and sixth at the British Open. 

Other highlights this year included finishing second at the Valspar Championship, fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and 11th at the Players Championship.

Should Woods continue to play well, he'll present an interesting case to earn one of the U.S. Ryder Cup at-large selections, which captain Jim Furyk will choose. A strong showing in upcoming tournaments won't hurt in that regard, with Harig reporting, "There has been speculation for weeks that Woods will get a pick—and that was before his showing at The Open."

Woods may not be the dominant player he was in his prime, but he's relevant again on the biggest stage.