Howell: Tiger will play Riviera again

Charles Howell, a good friend of Tiger Woods, just had a press conference as defending champion of the Northern Trust Open. Howell would have every reason to be annoyed by the multitude of Tiger questions, but that's never the case. Howell said he believes Tiger Woods will play at Riviera Country Club, even though he is skipping the event for the second consecutive year.
``He will be back here for sure,'' Howell said. ``... I would be very, very certain he'd be back here.''
Asked if Woods had voice that to him, Howell said not in so many words but cited Tiger's competitiveness for wanting to return. Tiger is 0-for-11 at Riviera, including two amateur appearances.