NASSAU, Bahamas -- The results will be analyzed and scrutinized, along with his swing, his short game and his putting. But it's no stretch to suggest that perhaps the biggest takeaway for Tiger Woods this week will be his ability to play four rounds of golf without physical issues.
Woods is unlikely to contend at the Hero World Challenge this week, and he might finish well back in the pack of 18 players. But a week of good health is another form of victory.
Now ranked 898th in the world -- everyone else in the field is 38th or better -- Woods makes his long-anticipated return to competitive golf after a 15-month, injury-induced layoff.
He was back on the course Monday at Albany Golf Club for a practice round that included former major league baseball players Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez along with Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose.
The nine-hole practice round followed a lengthy warm-up session and was followed by more practice afterward.
For Woods to have any chance of returning to a semblance of his previous form, that is what needs to be routine. Practice, play, practice. And practice some more. And be able to do it without pain, which can lead to bad habits.
"I was in the gym with Rosie ... the same thing," Woods said Monday after the practice round, referring to Rose taking the last seven weeks off to deal with his own back issues. "He's 36, and it's the same thing. It takes him close to an hour and a half to be able to hit balls. You have to do all the work to protect yourself.
"It's the same deal. We miss the days of going to the first tee and hitting a 300-yard drive with a balata ball and persimmon driver. It takes time; I've had my issues."
In that regard, Monday was a good sign. Woods went at it hard Sunday during a two-plus hour practice session in which he was testing his equipment and hitting numerous shots with all his clubs. As the session progressed, Woods began hitting at the command of his caddie Joe LaCava -- cut with a driver, draw with a 3-iron, and all manner of different ball flights.
It was an impressive display of what still exists in Woods' arsenal. But he admitted that there is only so far he can push. While he did not say he is on any kind of "ball count" related to practice, he acknowledged that he's been warned by his medical team to learn the danger signs of overextending.
9 Holes with @TigerWoods today!! #heroworldchallenge @HWC2016 pic.twitter.com/KCwFgA7Dde
— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) November 28, 2016
All of that, he said, is what has led to such a lengthy delay in his return. Prior to Sunday and Monday, the last time I was able to witness Woods hit balls for any extended period was in late April, when he opened Bluejack National, a course he designed near Houston.
That day Woods did a clinic on the driving range and played five holes of the new course. It happened to be the first five holes of golf he had played since having two back procedures in the fall of 2015.
The view at the time was that Woods looked rusty, but not bad -- that if he was planning a return, a month to six weeks down the road didn't seem unreasonable.
When presented with that scenario, Woods said that was a positive day, but he still was a long way from where he needed to be.
"I didn't have any speed in my swing yet," said Woods, who agreed that his follow-through might have appeared forced. "I was being careful. Not only the speed difference, but I hadn't played any holes yet. And I had just started the testing process."
And that presents another scenario not often discussed: What equipment would he use? Woods said that clubs and balls have evolved so much in recent times that it takes plenty of time to figure out what is right.
When Nike Golf announced in August that it was getting out of the business of manufacturing golf clubs and balls, it meant Woods would have to look for new equipment. And there was no shortage of products to sample as his office in South Florida filled with golf clubs.
"This is just one company," Woods said Sunday when testing the TaylorMade driver and woods along with the Bridgestone golf ball he said he will use this week. "Each company has at least five or six different golf balls. There are different shafts, heads. Different launch angles. Back then, I wasn't in golf shape yet. I got tired hitting golf balls after 20 or 30 minutes.
"And then it becomes a law of diminishing returns. It's such a different deal."
Woods has always been an equipment geek. He is very savvy when it comes to various shafts, lengths and weights. He knows exactly what he is playing with and can notice the slightest difference.
Working out those details has been just another aspect to his comeback, but it also shows how seriously he has been taking it.
