Woods plans to play in his inaugural tournament

~ Woods and Mickelson will battle on the links at the AT&T National.

Tiger Woods' new PGA Tour event is already off to a great start.

Two weeks after becoming a father, Woods will return to competition at the AT&T National. The tournament got another boost Wednesday when three-time major champion Phil Mickelson said his recovery from a wrist injury is ahead of schedule and he will join the field at Congressional Country Club from July 5 through 8.

Woods will announce today or Friday that he's playing, a tournament official said Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending the official announcement.

Jim Furyk (No. 3) and Adam Scott (No. 4) previously committed to play in the tournament.

That Woods is playing is no surprise.

He joins Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to host a PGA Tour event, and it became more likely he would play the AT&T National when his wife gave birth to their first child, a girl named Sam Alexis, on June 18.

He skipped the Buick Open this week, where he was defending champion at an event run by one of his top sponsors. It was only the second time Woods has not played as the defending champion.

No one expected Mickelson, the No. 2 player in the world, to be playing so soon after missing the cut at the U.S. Open with his left wrist in a brace. But he said after 10 days of rest and rehabilitation he has been cleared to play.

"Two specialists looked at it and agreed there were injuries in multiple joints but they're much better now because of the rest," Mickelson said on his Web site (www.philmickelson.com).