Okay, so the golfing world can start spinning again. He's back. Tiger Woods, the world number one, will hit a golf ball again - for the first time in competition this year - in the Buick Invitational in San Diego, starting on Thursday and so end a period of hibernation (prolonged by rehabilitating from surgery) that dates back to December 8th.
That day he finished runner-up in his own tournament, the Target World Challenge, to Padraig Harrington. The period away from tournament play has been the longest since he turned professional in 1996.
In the meantime, we've had regular bulletins on Tiger's recuperation from knee surgery to remove benign cysts and fluid that caused his ligaments to swell. The decision to undergo surgery was forced on him after a year spent playing in pain - remember, he still won two majors last season, the US Masters and the US Open - and had him complaining, "there were a lot of times I really didn't want to go out there and play because I felt nauseous in my stomach because the pain was so great".
Lest we forget how good Woods (in pain!) was last year, we should remember that he played in 22 tournaments. He won six of them; finished in the top-10 on 17 occasions; had a stroke average on the US Tour of 68.5, and won $6,912,526 to take his career earnings past the $33 million mark.
"I haven't been my best for a couple of years now, so that part I'm really excited about . . . not having to wake up every day and worrying about the day of walking and playing because my knee is hurting so bad," said Woods.
"The real test comes at Torrey Pines," said Woods of his comeback at a tournament which he won in 1999 and on a course where he has never finished worse than fifth. In his first full round since surgery, he played with his dad, Earl, and went round in 66.
"As far as my expectations (are concerned), they won't change. I always go into a tournament expecting to win. Of course, I have to be realistic too. I haven't played competitive golf since early December and I am coming off knee surgery too. If my body is not ready, there is nothing I can do."
Traditionally, however, Woods has performed well when he returns to competition after taking periods away, and there is a lot at stake in San Diego because Woods is carrying a run of having made 96 consecutive cuts into the week. It's a run that has taken him five years to accumulate and he is 18 tour events from breaking Byron Nelson's record of 113. This is not a time to slip up as Woods goes in pursuit of another milestone.
Adding spice to his return to competition - in reality, he only missed out on one intended tournament, the Mercedes Championship, because of the surgery - is that his old adversary Phil Mickelson has been a little free again with his words. In an interview with Golf magazine, Mickelson claimed that Woods was playing with "inferior" clubs and is the only player "good enough to overcome the equipment he's stuck with".
Woods intends to speak with Mickelson this week, although acknowledging that he believed the world number three's words were spoken in "jest". Anyway, Woods, as ever, looks to the bigger picture. "I really don't worry about other players or what they think. The real measuring stick is how much you win, and that is what drives me to compete at such a high level."
