Los Angeles : Superstar Tiger Woods will skip the US PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii next week, the world No. 1 golfer confirmed on his website on Friday.

It will be the second year in a row, and the third time in his career, that Woods has absented himself from the elite event open only to tournament winners from the previous season.

"I've decided to make my 2007 PGA Tour start at the Buick Invitational, January 25-28, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California," Woods wrote on his web site.

 "I've had good success there, winning four times and am the two-time defending champion. More importantly, it will give me much needed extra time with my family,"  he said.

Woods, who took a ski holiday with his family after winning the unofficial Target World Challenge on December 17, said he hadn't spent enough time on the golf course to prepare adequately for next week's tournament.

"I usually spend at least one week working on my game before a tournament, and have been unable to do that this year," he said.

The news will be a blow for US tour officials, who are billing the revamped schedule for 2007 as a new era in golf.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship is the official start of the FedEx Cup, a year long competition in which players earn points each week. The top 144 qualify for four playoff tournaments at the end of the year, a system designed to add spice to the often lackuster late-season lineup.

When Woods does make his return on January 25, he'll be seeking his seventh US tour victory in as many starts. His winning streak includes victories in the final two majors of 2006, the British Open and PGA Championship.