Tiger Woods officially entered the year's final major, the PGA Championship, on Friday. It marks the first time since April Woods will tee it up in a major championship. Woods missed both the U.S. Open and British Open this season due to knee and Achilles injuries.

The event runs Aug. 11-14 at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

Before he arrives at the PGA, the 14-time major winner will get a tune-up at the Bridgestone Invitational next week in Akron, Ohio.

Woods -- a four-time PGA Champion -- hasn't played competitively since May, when he withdrew from the Players Championship after nine holes.

What was once all but assured, Woods's chase of Jack Nicklaus's all-time record of 18 majors has been stalled by injuries and personal problems. Since his infamous car crash in November 2009, Woods has gotten divorced, changed swings and swing coaches, and fired his long-time caddie.

Woods finished in a tie for 29th in the 2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

More Tiger Woods: Life in Pictures | SI Covers | Chronology of Injuries

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(Photo: Hans Deryk/Reuters)

After three months away from the game, Tiger Woods announced Thursday he will return next week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. Woods had been sidelined since May with injuries to his left leg.

"I'm excited to get back out there," Woods said on his website.

Woods said he aggravated a mild medial collateral ligament strain to his left knee and a strained left Achilles tendon at the Players Championship in May. He withdrew after nine holes and hasn't played in a tournament since. Woods originally injured himself while hitting a recovery shot during the third round of the Masters in April.

At the AT&T National last month, a tournament that benefits Woods's foundation, Woods said he probably came back too soon at the Players.

"Probably in retrospect it was a borderline call whether I should have played the Players," Woods said. "I made the call on that and played and wasn't quite 100 percent. Unfortunately I hurt myself there. Now this time around, it's different. I'm going at it differently. I'm setting no timetable, which is very different for me."

So far this season, Woods has only played in six events. This week the former World No. 1 player dropped out of the top 20, and he's in danger of missing the PGA Tour's season-ending playoff series. 

Fortunately for Woods he's returning at a tournament without a 36-hole cut on a golf course where he's has plenty of success, winning the title a record seven times. 

Not only will the focus be on Woods, but also who will be carrying his bag. Last week Woods fired Steve Williams, his caddie for the past 12 years, and he's yet to name a permanent replacement. Golf Channel reported Thursday night that Bryon Bell, a childhood friend and president of Tiger Woods design, would caddie for Woods at Firestone. Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, declined comment when contacted by the Associated Press.

More Tiger Woods: Life in Pictures | SI Covers | Chronology of Injuries

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While most of America was still sleeping Thursday morning, Rory McIlroy and Golf Channel analyst Jay Townsend got into it on Twitter. Townsend criticized McIlroy's course management at the end of his opening round at the Irish Open, where he shot a one-under 70 but closed with a double-bogey on 18. Here it is.

Townsend also tweeted to one of his followers "some of the worst course management I have ever seen beyond under 10 boys' golf competition," and suggested to another that McIlroy should hire Steve Williams to be his caddie. Stay tuned.

McIlroy fends off Wozniacki rumor
Townsend wasn't the only media member to put McIlroy in an awkward position at the Irish Open. You may recall that the 22-year-old has also been in headlines (and photo galleries) for a rumored relationship with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. McIlroy was asked if his bandaged fingers might be the result of some extra time on a tennis court. McIlroy didn't bite. Ryan Ballengee at Pro Golf Talk has the report.

With rumors rampant (and a "no comment" from his agent Andrew Chandler to this website) about Rory McIlroy‘s budding relationship with top tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, the European press took a moment to poke a little fun the Ulsterman ahead of the Irish Open this week.

He was asked if a couple of bandaged fingers had anything to do with a potential hike in recent trips to the tennis court.

"Very funny. I got a callous on this one just because I haven't hit balls for five days. And," pointing to another part of his hand, he said, "this finger has actually got a slightly odd-shaped bone, so I just tape it to sort of keep it in place sometimes. It was pretty sore."

Forget the rumors and reports. No one knows for sure when Tiger Woods will make his return to the PGA Tour, not even his swing coach Sean Foley. Steve Elling of CBS Sports exchanged text messages with Foley on Tuesday night:

Foley said … that the pair have not been working together, which seemingly creates the very real possibility that Woods will miss the PGA Championship next month, too. Bridgestone and the PGA are staged in consecutive weeks and Woods has regularly played in both.

“We have not hit any balls,” Foley wrote. “And I have no idea what his plans are as far as when he plays again. It’s up to the doctors.”

Where's Anthony Galea when you need him?

Why British female pros have been lapped by their male counterparts

Great Britain boasts the No. 1 and 2 players in the world in Luke Donald and Lee Westwood and three of the last five major champions in Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke. Lagging way behind them, however, are their female counterparts, reports Karen Crouse of the New York Times:

Heading into the Women’s British Open this week at Carnoustie Golf Club, the highest-ranked women from the British Isles are Catriona Matthew of Scotland (36), Melissa Reid of England (39) and her compatriot Laura Davies (68).

What gives?

Those who play and follow the sport suggest golf’s patrician roots in Britain have constricted the women’s professional progress. Neil Squires, who covers golf for the Manchester Evening News, estimated that 90 percent of the country’s golfers are men. There remain clubs, he said, where women are invisible by design.

“Historically, there’s always been an issue with golf and all-male clubs,” Squires said, adding that until recently there was a sign displayed at Royal St. George’s that reflected the prevailing attitude.

“It read ‘No Women, No Dogs in the clubhouse,”’ he added. “If you’re a woman wanting to take up golf or even a guy with daughters wanting to take up golf, would you take your daughter along to a place like that?”

McIlroy chooses G-Mac over Clarke

As the highest-ranked Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy was given the option (maybe “chore” is a better word) of choosing his partner for the World Cup, a two-man team event in China in November. G-Mac? Clarke? Harrington? Feherty? Tough call. McIlroy, clever lad that he is, took the easy way out, reports the Irish Times:

“G-Mac’s the next highest on the rankings, so it will be me and him again,” the 22-year-old said today on the eve of the Irish Open at Killarney.

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@Graeme_McDowell: Irish Open #topquote: "I won the Guinness pint-drinking contest (vs McIlroy & Clarke). That's my first win of the season."

Phil Mickelson appeared on the Charlie Rose show on Monday night to promote the Mickelson Exxon Mobil Teachers Academy, a weeklong professional development program for teachers designed to inspire students in math and science.

Rose is known for getting his guests to open up through his engaging, conversation-style interviews, and he gets Mickelson talking about coming up short at the British Open, his difficulty with easy shots and his rivalry with Tiger. You can watch the full interview here.

Some highlights:

On being "in the zone": "It becomes more reactionary, it's like throwing a ball. I just see the target and swing and the ball goes where I want it to go."

On missing short putts: "The easier the shot, the less focused I am, and that's something I need to work on. The harder the shot, the more tuned in I am."

On whether he and Tiger will ever have a rivalry: "When he was playing his best, he brought me to play my best but we never really had a head-to-head rivalry in the final round of a major. When we did play in the final round he beat me pretty good, but in 2007 things started to change a little. In fact, my head-to-head record changed from getting beat like a drum to I actually started to pull ahead, but we haven't been able to do that in a major championship yet."

Dustin Johnson says he doesn't have any scar tissue from his near misses at the 2010 U.S. Open, the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2011 British Open, and now he's got the T-shirt to prove it.

Johnson was left out of a playoff at last year's PGA Championship for grounding his club in a bunker because he didn't realize he was in a bunker, and he makes light of the incident in a T-shirt for sale on his website.

T-shirt, $24.95, plus $4.95 shipping, sense of humor: priceless.

Golf in the Kingdom movie to be released on Friday

After years of speculation and various rumors that included a potential Clint Eastwood production with Sean Connery playing the lead and Gus Van Sant directing, Golf in the Kingdom will be released in New York City on Friday, July 29. The New York Times' Charles McGrath recounts the tortuous path from page to screen of Michael Murphy's famous 1972 book about the mystical golf teacher Shivas Irons..

Set in Scotland, "Golf in the Kingdom" was shot primarily at Bandon Dunes resort on the Oregon Coast, which closely resembles locations in the book.

Mr. Murphy, now 80, is better known as a founder of the Esalen Institute, home of the human potential movement and scene of countless nude hot tub encounters. He gave up golf a few years ago when his brother began to outdrive him, but took a keen interest in the film and helped write the script. He focused particularly on a long meditation sequence at the end and also suggested a scene, not in the novel, in which a golfer and a barmaid turn each other on by quoting the Robert Burns poem “Nine Inch Will Please a Lady” to each other.

“I’ve been waiting for this a long time,” he said of the movie. “I had got to calling ‘Golf in the Kingdom’ the world’s longest virtual movie, coming soon to a mind near you.”

Open champ hopeful for a Ryder Cup return

It wasn't long ago when British Open champion Darren Clarke was considering retirement. His world ranking had hit a career rock bottom, and his game wasn't showing signs of life. At the advice of his agent, Clarke decided to take time away from the game and soon came back with an improved game and attitude. The result was a European Tour victory at the Mallorca Open earlier this year, and then of course his monumental victory at Royal St. George's.

Now the Northern Irishman seems to have made a 180-degree turn in his career and clearly believes he can still compete on the biggest stage in golf, according to a Bettor.com report.

“It would be great to get back in the Ryder Cup team again. I'd like to think I'm still good enough. It feels a bit like the start of a new career, because now I'm back into all those big tournaments again. I've got lots of years left in golf. I'd like to play on until I'm 55, then I would go around the world fishing.”

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Each week, 15 staffers from SI Golf+, Golf Magazine and GOLF.com vote for their top 10, awarding 10 points to their first choice and proceeding in descending order to the 10th player, who gets one point. The points are then added and the ranking calculated. Tell us your top 10 in the comments field below.

RANK (TOTAL VOTES, FIRST PLACE VOTES, LAST WEEK'S RANK)
1. Rory McIlroy (144, 10, 1)
- Last three finishes: T25, The Open Championship; Win, U.S. Open; 5th, Memorial Tournament
- Official World Golf Ranking: 4

2. Luke Donald (134, 5, 2)
- Last three finishes: T17, RBC Canadian Open; CUT, The Open Championship; Win, Barclays Scottish Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

3. Lee Westwood (98, 0, 3)
- Last three finishes: CUT, The Open Championship; T14, Barclays Scottish Open; T3, U.S. Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

4. Charl Schwartzel (93, 0, 4)
- Last three finishes: T9, Canadian Open; T16, The Open Championship; T9, U.S. Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 9

5. Steve Stricker (75, 0, 5)
- Last three finishes: T12, The Open Championship; Win, John Deere Classic; T19, U.S. Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 5

6. Martin Kaymer (52, 0, 6)
- Last three finishes: T12, The Open Championship; 4, Alstom Open de France; T18, BMW International Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

7. Darren Clarke (43, 0, 7)
- Last three finishes: Win, The Open Championship; T66, Barclays Scottish Open; CUT, Alstom Open de France
- Official World Golf Ranking: 31

8. Phil Mickelson (41, 0, 9)
- Last three finishes: T2, The Open Championship; T58, Barclays Scottish Open; T54, U.S. Open
- Official World Golf Rank: 6

9. Dustin Johnson (32, 0, NR)
- Last three finishes: T6, Nordea Masters; T2, The Open Championship; T18, BMW International Open - Official World Golf Rank: 7

10. Nick Watney (32, 0, 8)
- Last three finishes: CUT, The Open Championship; Win, AT&T National; T13, Travelers Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 11

Tiger Woods's slide down the world rankings has turned into a free fall.

Woods is ranked 21st in the latest Official World Golf Ranking, down one spot from last week and four slots in the last month.

It's the first time Woods has been out of the top 20 since 1997. He first rose to No. 1 after tying for 19th at the 1997 U.S. Open, and has spent a total of 623 weeks at the top of the ranking during his career, including a streak of 281 consecutive weeks at No. 1, which ended on Nov. 1, 2010, when Lee Westwood took the top spot. 

Woods has not played competitively since withdrawing from the Players Championship on May 12 after a front-nine 42. Woods cited knee and Achilles' injuries to his left leg, which he said that he initially sustained during the third round of the Masters in April. He has yet to announce when he'll return to competitive golf.

Last week Woods announced that he fired his caddie, Steve Williams, ending a partnership that lasted more than 12 years and produced 13 major titles.

(Photo: Matt Rourke/AP)

After four decades, the most popular golf novel ever written is finally coming to the silver screen. Golf in the Kingdom (opening July 29) isn't full of A-list stars, but the legend of mystical guru/golf pro Shivas Irons might be enough to enter the pantheon of great golf movies. Here's our list of some of the best golf scenes of all time. (Some clips contain R-rated language.)

Animal House

In the famous "Only we can do that to our pledges" scene, Boon and Otter use golf as a means to punish an ROTC officer for disrespecting a fellow Delta.

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

When Bobby Jones gets praised for calling a one-stroke penalty on himself, he says, "That's like congratulating a man for not robbing a bank. I don’t know how else to play the game."

Caddyshack

Picking the "best scene" from Caddyshack is almost criminal because there are so many good ones, but it's hard to beat Bill Murray's act as “Cinderella Man."

Casino

The feds watched Nicky play golf for so long that they ran out of gas and had to land on a fairway. Nicky, of course, proclaimed, "Hundred dollars to whoever hits the plane."

Get Smart

Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to drive a car across a crowded driving range? Thanks to golf-ball-proof windows, Steve Carell makes it through unscathed. But his car is another story.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore has a bevy of great scenes to choose from, but the fight between Bob Barker and Happy has to be the best, if only for the number of catchphrases jammed into a 90-second segment. 

Legend of Bagger Vance

Will Smith delivers a great monologue on what golfers can learn from watching the greats work.

Lost In Translation

Golf can be frustrating, challenging, and maddening – all at the same time – but it can also be true bliss, as the title of this Lost In Translation scene suggests.

Sideways

Hitting into a slow group in front of you is one of golf's ultimate temptations. The movie Sideways shows how that plan can backfire pretty quickly.

Tin Cup

Who hasn't been swindled by a bet on the golf course? Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy shows off a new trick to try on your friends with the "7-iron bet."

But who will be on the bag?

Tiger Woods, who has been resting his injured left knee and Achilles tendon since withdrawing from the Players Championship in May, is expected to return at next week’s Bridgestone Invitational, which begins Aug. 4 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, according to The Guardian UK.

Tiger Woods, expected to announce this week that he is returning to action at the Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday, is out of the world's top 20 for the first time since January 1997.

Woods has until this Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern time to officially enter the event, which would be his first Tour event since firing longtime caddie Steve Williams.

Manager says Darren Clarke ‘almost broke’ before Open win

Necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also pretty good motivation for playing well in a major.

According to The Daily Mail (UK), Darren Clarke solved some short-term money problems by cashing in with his British Open win.

Open winner Darren Clarke's big payday came just in time to avert a major cash crisis, his manager Chubby Chandler has revealed.

'The timing could not have been better,' he said. 'Darren has had a big cash flow problem.'

Apart from collecting the Open's €999,000 prize money ($1.43 million), Clarke also picked up a long-awaited €2.2million bonus ($3.15 million) from his clothing sponsors Sports Direct and Dunlop, along with other undisclosed bonuses expected from his endorsement of Taylor Made clubs and other equipment.

The 42-year-old, who has several properties dotted around the globe, was hit hard by the worldwide recession and was strapped for cash when he arrived in Kent for the year's third Major.

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From CBS Sports’ Steve Elling...