AP
Tiger finished second at the Shanghai event in 2006.
Idle since Oct. 11, when he helped lead the U.S. to a resounding 19.5 to 14.5 victory against the International Team in The Presidents Cup at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Woods heads a stellar field that includes seven of the top 10 players on the Official World Golf Ranking. Phil Mickelson (2), Paul Casey (4), Lee Westwood (5), Padraig Harrington (6), Henrik Stenson (7) and defending champion Sergio Garcia (10) are also entered.
Other marquee names include: Open Championship winner Stewart Cink and PGA champion Y.E. Yang; Sean O'Hair, Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Ross Fisher, Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa.
Woods, who finished second in the HSBC in 2005 and 2006, has a great track record in WGC events. In 30 starts, he has 16 wins and 27 top 10s. Woods has won the Accenture Match Play Championship three times, the CA Championship six times and the Bridgestone Invitational seven times.
Woods led the PGA Tour with six victories this year and placed in the top 10 in 14 of 17 starts. In his last 10 tournament appearances, he finished first or second eight times.
"I'm very proud of my consistency," Woods said before leaving for China, preceded by a brief personal appearance in Japan. "I put myself in contention almost every week."
Sheshan International Golf Club measures 7,143 yards and plays to a par-72. The scenic and hilly course features many dramatic elevation changes. A deep rock quarry comes into play on the 16th and 17th holes.
"It's a challenging course," said Woods. "The field is strong, and it should be an exciting week."
Woods tees off the tournament Wednesday night at 8:50 p.m. ET on the 10th tee with Ross Fisher of England and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.
Next week, Woods will compete in the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne. It will mark his first visit to Australia since 1998, when he played in The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
Both tournaments will have big galleries and are sold out.