Tiger: I'll be there

New York - Tiger Woods, nursing a strained left Achilles tendon, vowed on Thursday on a US television show that he will be ready to play in next month's Masters, saying, "I'll be there. Don't worry about it."

Woods, who appeared on ABC's Good Morning America, also said that he has not yet hit a golf ball since walking off the course last Sunday at the World Golf Championships event at Doral after wincing following his 12th hole tee shot.

"I took a few days off," Woods said. "I will start hitting balls tomorrow(Friday). The stiffness is gone."

Woods said he is still hopeful of playing in next week's US PGA Tour event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his traditional final tuneup for the year's first major championship.

Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, has not won a tour-sanctioned event since November of 2009 in Australia.

Woods was nagged by injuries, notably to his left knee and Achilles tendon last year, and the fallout from the infamous sex scandal that delayed his return to golf in 2010 until the Masters.

The Masters, which Woods has won four times, will be played April 5-8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.