Woods gets back into swing with new coach

Tiger Woods, who plans to return to competition in less than two weeks after a three-month absence, said on Saturday he is working with a new coach, Chris Como, on his swing.

Woods, who has been plagued by back issues and underwent surgery in March, broke ties with swing coach Sean Foley in August.

“Happy to have Chris Como consulting and working with me on my swing. I’m excited to be back competing,” Woods said on his Twitter account (@TigerWoods).

The 14-time major winner is expected to tee it up at the Hero World Challenge, his annual tournament benefiting the Tiger Woods Foundation, starting Dec. 4 at Isleworth near Orlando, Florida.

The Texas-based Como, 36, also has worked with South African former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, Australian Aaron Baddeley and American Jamie Lovemark.

Woods said he was introduced to Como this summer by four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay, his friend and former college teammate at Stanford.

“Subsequently we had several good conversations about the golf swing,” Woods said. “I’ve worked with him about a month since I started practicing. Chris will consult and work with me during the year.”

After missing the cut at the PGA Championship following a back issue, Woods decided to shut down for several months and announced he was parting ways with Foley, his coach of four years.

Woods, 38, played just eight times worldwide in a winless 2014 and after surgery to alleviate a disk issue missed the Masters and U.S. Open, and finished 69th at the British Open.

The longtime former world number one, who held the top spot in May 2014, has slipped to 23 in the world rankings.

Woods won eight events on the PGA Tour with Foley, but none was a major. His last major victory was the 2008 U.S. Open. AP