Tiger Woods announced on Friday that he will start his 2015 campaign at the Waste Management Phoenix Open later this month in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Woods, who was slowed down by injuries last year, opted to participate at the Phoenix Open that will start on Jan. 29 with hopes of regaining his rhythm in time for the big tournaments this year.

The golf superstar will play in the event for the first time since 2001. He has not won in Phoenix before, finishing just third in 1999 and fifth in 2001, but Woods had fond memories in his previous participation.

Woods nailed a hole-in-one in the 16th hole of the 1997 edition of the tournament and had members of the gallery move a boulder to give him a clear path for a shot in 1999. The 39-year-old is looking forward to playing in front of a huge crowd in Phoenix, particularly in the 16th hole, where more than 15,000 spectators are expected to watch.

"It will be great to return to Phoenix," Woods said on a blog post on his official website. "The crowds are amazing and always enthusiastic, and the 16th hole is pretty unique in golf."

Woods, who only played nine times last season -- mainly because of recurring back issues -- also announced that he will play at the Farmers Insurance Open starting Feb. 5 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

The former world No. 1 is very familiar with the course at Torrey Pines, where he played junior golf during his childhood. Woods has also won the annual event at Torrey Pines seven times and is the site of his last major championship -- the 2008 U.S. Open.

"Torrey is a very important place to me," said Woods, who last won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2013. My pop took me there when I was younger, and I have a lot of special memories of watching the Tour play there when I was growing up."

Meanwhile, Woods' girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn, will take the spotlight on Saturday as she is aiming to equal or surpass the World Cup victories record of 62 held by Annemarie Moser-Proell.

Vonn, who has made a strong return from a long layoff due to two major knee surgeries, already has 61 career wins. She will have the chance to tie the record on Saturday in the downhill event and on Sunday's super-G in Austria.

The former Olympic downhill champion admitted that she is feeling a lot of pressure heading into the race, but Vonn vowed to remain focused on the task at hand.

"If you can't focus on the skiing, you're not going to get the win, you're not going to get the record," Vonn told USA Today. "I've learned how to keep things in check and try not to talk about it because the more I feel like I talk about it, the harder it is to put it out of my mind at the start. I'm just focused on trying to ski my best."

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