Former world no. 1 Tiger Woods could make his comeback to competitive golf in July, specifically in time for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

According to sources of the Golf Channel, Woods is aiming for a comeback this summer just in time for the July 17-20 Open Championship after missing the Masters for the first time in his checkered career. Woods has been sidelined since March after undergoing an operation to relieve a pinched nerve that has caused him pain for several months.

Last month, Woods withdrew during the final round of the Honda Classic due to back troubles. He has not teed up since settling for 25th at the WGC Cadilla Championship. His agent, Mark Steinberg, announced last week that Woods had been doing light chipping and putting after his microdiscectomy surgery. Woods then said in a statement that he wanted to be back to competitive action this summer, something that Steinberg reiterated later on.

Via ESPN.com, Steinberg said: "I don't know when he intends to be playing competitively. But I expect it to be this summer. I know that's a wide range, but as the weeks go by we'll be able to pinpoint an approximate time. It's still a little early for that."

When pressed for a confirmation as to whether Woods will indeed make his much-awaited return, Steinberg told the Golf Channel that there is still no target date set. He did confirm that Woods will return at some point this summer.

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