Tiger Woods fuels rumors he'll team with Tony Romo at Pebble Beach

Tiger Woods, who will begin his 2012 season in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Championship on January 26, will kick off his PGA Tour campaign at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February, the former No. 1 announced Monday on his website.

"It's always been one of my favorite spots," said Woods, who conjured up his first recollection of taking in the beauty of the "breathtaking property" when he was a junior golfer. "It might be the prettiest place on earth."

Woods’ announcement fueled the rumors spreading like wild fire that he would pair with Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo in the event. Golf Channel’s Jason Sobel fanned the flames of the chatter with a tweet earlier this month hinting broadly that the two would team up.

"Well, Tony Romo can start prepping for Pebble Beach Pro-Am," Sobel tweeted on January 2. "May have very, VERY high profile partner. I can’t be any less subtle than that."

Tiger Woods says he'll play Pebble Beach -- giving legs to the rumor he'll team up with Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo for the pro-am event (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

His online statement made no mention of a potential teammate, noting only that two alterations to the tournament made the event more attractive to Woods, who has not played in the contest since 2002. He expected pace of play to speed up after organizers cut the field from 180 pros and amateurs to 156. He said he also looked forward to playing the fast greens at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, which replaced Poppy Hills Golf Course in the event’s three-course rotation that also includes Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill GC.

As he noted, Woods has made Pebble his personal playground, most notably in his record-shattering, 15-shot victory in the 2000 U.S. Open.

"I'm excited to start my PGA Tour season at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am," said Woods. "AT&T is a great partner to my foundation, and I'm looking forward to playing in this event. I haven't been to this tournament lately, but I have a lot of good memories at Pebble. It will be fun going back."

The Pebble Beach AT&T tilt will run from February 9-February 12.