RABAT - Golfing great Jack Nicklaus has expressed surprise that Tiger Woods will break his five-month exile by going into next month's US Masters at Augusta without playing any warm-up events.

"I fully expected Tiger to come back to play the Masters and that will be good for Augusta," said Nicklaus, who made a guest appearance at the Dar Es Salam course ahead of the Hassan II Trophy which started on Thursday.

"I am surprised he is not playing some place before that but then Tiger is Tiger and he'll come back ready to play.