Tiger Woods tees off his return to professional golf in Ohio

Golfer Tiger Woods is set to return to the PGA Tour Thursday after a three-month hiatus, but this time without his longtime caddie Steve Williams.
Woods' participation in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio -- an event he has won a record seven times -- comes after months of recuperation following knee and Achilles injuries.
Speaking to reporters after a practice round Tuesday, Woods said he was feeling the fittest he had in "years" and was experiencing no ill effects after surgery on his left leg.
"It feels solid, it feels stable, no pain. That's one of the reasons why I took as long as I did to come back is that I want to get to this point where I can go ahead and start playing golf again like this," he said.
"It's been a very long time, and it feels good to go out there today and hit balls like this, go practice and feel nothing and walk around and pretty much do anything I want on the golf course."
It will also be his first appearance since he fired his caddie, Steve Williams, who worked for him for 12 years.
Asked about last month's breakup -- amid reports Williams said he felt he'd wasted the past two years of his life -- Woods responded that he had "felt it was time for a change."
He and Williams had had "an amazing run," Woods said. "He's a hell of a caddie, there's no denying that. He's helped my career and I think I've helped his as well.
"We've had a great partnership for 12 years, won a bunch of tournaments, but I just felt it was time to change things up a little."
Woods will tee off at 1.40 p.m. at Firestone Country Club, with his friend Bryon Bell caddying for him.
Woods withdrew from the PLAYERS Championship in May because of the injury to his left knee and a strained Achilles tendon. He missed the British Open earlier in July, along with the U.S. Open in June, because of his injuries.
He has since been working to rehabilitate his injuries, and recently began hitting practice shots, the statement on his website said.
The 35-year-old Woods, winner of the British Open in 2000, 2005 and 2006, also missed the 2008 tournament at Royal Birkdale following reconstructive knee surgery after his U.S. Open victory a month earlier.
Woods hasn't won a tournament since he took a break from the game after revelations about his private life emerged.
The golfer divorced Elin Nordegren, his wife of six years, in August 2010 after admitting to transgressions in his private life and following reports of extramarital affairs.