Last Updated on March 17, 2010 by Paulette Brown-Hinds

(NNPA) Depending on what you read, Tiger Woods is either headed for a comeback in as little as two weeks – or sticking to his hiatus from golf.

The Associated Press is reporting Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters, according to two people with knowledge of his plans. ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, citing a source “in the Woods camp,” echoed the AP report. A report in the New York Post has Woods playing in two weeks, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando.

Meanwhile, Woods’ longtime friend, Mark O’Meara, told the Golf Channel last week that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Woods played during the Tavistock Cup, a competition between two high-profile golf clubs in Orlando where several prominent PGA Tour players are members. The tournament is scheduled for March 22-23 at Isleworth.

The event would be a good way for Woods to ease back into competitive play, O’Meara told the Golf Channel.

“It’s been a rough road the last three or four months in Tiger’s life and his family’s life,” O’Meara said on the network. “It’s a very difficult situation. Golf is what Tiger does, and possibly part of the healing process is to get back at it.”

Woods has been practicing at Isleworth near his Orlando home the last two weeks, and swing coach Hank Haney flew there during the weekend to work with him. That led to speculation Thursday he was close to playing again.

The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is supposed to release such information, say he is likely to play first at Augusta National in April.

The only other time Woods played a major after such a long layoff was the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, when he was out nine weeks coping with his father’s death. That’s where he missed the cut for the first time at a major.

Woods has not played since Nov. 15, when he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne for his 82nd career victory. Twelve days later, he crashed his SUV into a tree near his Florida home, setting off revelations he had been cheating on his wife.

Two golf sources said former presidential press secretary Ari Fleischer, who helped craft Mark McGwire’s ‘s return to baseball from his self-imposed exile following allegations of steroid use, has been working with Woods to chart a course for Woods’ return to professional golf, the Post reported.

“[Woods and Fleischer] were in his living room this week going over a strategy for how to handle Bay Hill in two weeks,” one source said, according to the report.

A second source said, “I would be shocked if he didn’t play the Arnold Palmer,” according to the Post.

Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill six times, claiming four straight titles from 2000 through 2003 and two more in 2008-09.

Information from Espn.com, The Associated Press, The New York Post and Golf.com contributed to this report.