TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS at the WGC-Accenture Match Play have been unable to confirm speculation that Tiger Woods is set to return to golf at the Arizona event in 12 days’ time.

Reports in an Australian newspaper suggested the world number one was ready to return to golf for the first time since a car accident in late November which led to revelations of extra-marital affairs and an admission of “trangressions” in Woods’ personal life.

World number one Woods announced in early December he was taking an indefinite leave from the sport to focus on becoming “a better husband, father and person” and has not been seen in public since.

The PGA Tour were still in the dark yesterday on a possible Woods return, with the tour’s senior communications director Laura Hill telling stating: “We have had no indication of when or where Tiger Woods will make his return to the PGA Tour.”

The Match Play event at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain near Tucson was the venue for Woods’ return from a lengthy injury 12 months ago.

“We don’t know anything officially yet, but wouldn’t that be nice?” the tournament’s executive director Wade Dunagan told the Arizona Daily Star.

“It would mean we’d get Tiger on his return two years in a row. Very cool. The main question is, ‘Do I know anything you don’t?’ The answer is ‘no’. We’re still a little bit in the dark. I can’t confirm or deny anything, because I don’t know.”

The tournament is open to the top 64 golfers in the world rankings and players wanting to compete have to confirm their entry by next Friday, February 12th, five days before the event begins.

Woods left it until a day before the deadline before announcing his return last year.

Despite Woods’ off-course problems, the world’s number one golfer remains the top athlete brand, as ranked by Forbes.

The business magazine estimated in its second annual “Fab 40” list that Woods still represents the top sports brand by athlete, with an estimated value of €60 million.

His total was larger than that of the next five athletes combined, according to Forbes, David Beckham €15 million), Roger Federer (€12 million), NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr (€10 million) and basketballers LeBron James and Kobe Bryant (€9.5 million and €9 million, respectively) .