Confirmation of Tiger Woods' competitive return at next week's US Masters is surely edging closer, after the golfer's private jet was spotted at Augusta Regional Airport on Tuesday morning.

Woods’s participation in the first major of the year has been in doubt after he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open in early February.

A subsequent statement from the 14-time major winner said he would only play again when his troubled game was “tournament ready”.

This week, Woods dropped out of the world’s top 100 ranked players.

Now, the Augusta Chronicle has reported that Woods’s Gulfstream G5 aircraft was parked in the Georgia airfield early on Tuesday.

That would almost certainly mean the 39-year-old took to Augusta National for a practice round, a clear indication that he intends to appear from Thursday week.

A statement either way should be forthcoming within the next few days; should he not accept the Masters invitation, having visited the course, it would be another high-profile indication of ongoing struggles.

Nike’s recent release of Woods’s outfits for the Masters provided the first nod to his likely participation. However, a mixture of fitness issues and poor form have blighted his schedule since a highly successful 2013.

He didn’t play in last year’s Masters after undergoing surgery on a back nerve; this time, Woods is priced at around 50-1 by leading bookmakers to win the tournament.