updated 10:29 a.m. ET Nov. 18, 2008

Tiger Woods won't be back on the PGA Tour in time to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title in January, but he is aiming for a February return, fellow golfer Mark O'Meara told The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Woods' recovery from June knee surgery is going smoothly, but not fast enough for Woods to play at Emirates Golf Club, said O'Meara, Woods' best friend on the Tour.

"Tiger is doing really well and he is pleased with the way the operation went," O'Meara told the newspaper while visiting the United Arab Emirates. "He is not going to start hitting balls until the end of December so it would be pushing it for him to come here in January. I imagine he will make his comeback in one of the Florida tournaments. His plan is to play a couple of events before the U.S. Masters [in April]."

O'Meara also took the opportunity to dispel any misgivings spectators might have about how strong Woods will be when he returns. "I have made some bold statements in the past but many of them have turned out to be true. I will make another now: Tiger Woods will return to the game even stronger than when he left it," O'Meara said.

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