Tiger Woods announced yesterday that he will be playing in the Dubai Desert Classic nex
t year, scheduled for January 31-February 3. Woods won the event in 2006, but did not play in the tournament last year. It will be interesting to see if Woods chooses to defend his title at the Buick Invitational the week before. If Woods misses out on the tournament, his first competition in the United States might not be until the World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship in mid-February.