All eyes on Woods again while he hopes for business as usual

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AKRON, Ohio -- On Thursday, it will be 12 weeks since Tiger Woods has hit a shot in competition. And until he does strike that first tee shot, we don't really know what to expect from him. How's his knee? How's his swing? How is he going to fare without Steve Williams on his bag?

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It's the allure of the unknown. It's one reason why interest in this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational is so heightened.

Consider this: A post announcing that Woods would play at Firestone in PGATOUR.COM's TOUR Report drew 154 comments. Four paragraphs about his practice round Monday at the Atlanta Athletic Club garnered 80 more, and there were 31 reactions in the first two hours after an article was filed on the nine holes he played at Firestone on Tuesday morning.

Not to mention, an additional 30 members of the media representing 18 different organizations applied for credentials after Woods committed to play in the Bridgestone Invitational. The total now is 367 reporters representing 125 outlets -- and the calls are still coming in.

So Woods' every move this week will be chronicled. Fans and media alike will be watching to see if he grimaces or limps. It's definitely not business as usual -- at least for us.

But for Tiger? Nothing's changed, at least in terms of his focus. Sure, he hasn't played a TOUR event since pulling out of THE PLAYERS Championship after nine holes, grim-faced and visibly limping, a strained ligament in his knee and his ailing Achilles tendon eventually forcing him to use crutches and wear a protective boot. Sure, he has an interim caddie, his childhood friend Byron Bell, on his bag as he looks for a permanent replacement.

The goal, though, remains the same.

"I'm here to try and win the golf tournament," Woods said simply. "That's what I'm focused on."

Of course, while we haven't seen Woods in three months, Tiger hasn't seen the PGA TOUR's winner's circle in 23 months. He came close at the Masters in April, eventually finishing tied for fourth. But he wasn't as healthy then as he is now. In fact, he said it has been "years ... years plural" since he has felt as good as he does right now.

He doesn't have any pain in his leg. "It feels solid," he said. "It feels stable." That's why he resisted the itch to play The Greenbrier Classic last week. He's finally learned his lesson; doctors usually know best.

"It feels good to go out there today and hit balls like this, go practice and feel nothing and walk around and pretty much do anything I want on the golf course," he explained.

Woods started practicing in earnest last month. He'd been putting and chipping but didn't get the go-ahead to hit drivers -- and put stress on that left knee -- until a couple of weeks ago. He's been able to shape shots, attempt different trajectories and focus on targets. His leg feels "explosive" now and he says he's finally getting comfortable with the changes he's made under the direction of Sean Foley.

"I feel of late I've been hitting it more solid and hitting it more flush than I have in the past," Woods said. "I think those are some of the things that Sean and I have been working on are starting to click now and I am starting to really understand what he's trying to get me to do. I had it at THE PLAYERS on the practice round was the best I had hit it in a long, long time, and then I got hurt."

So Woods harnessed his patience and became a much better patient in the last 11 weeks. He knows that practice is nothing like competition, but he liked what he saw as he played nine holes at Firestone on Tuesday with Foley, Bell on the bag and about 25 media members in tow. Granted, he was hitting it left off the tee, but there is still time to straighten that out.

"I actually didn't feel any (rust)," Woods said. "It's Tuesday. I still haven't been in a competitive environment yet, so that's a totally different atmosphere as you know. But the shots felt very crisp, very clean. I was very pleased. My start lines were good. They were nice and tight, which was good. ... Tomorrow is another day to refine it and be ready to go by Thursday."

Although Woods said he considered playing at The Greenbrier until the Wednesday prior to the tournament, targeting his return to competition at the Bridgestone Invitational made perfect sense. After all, Woods is a seven-time champion at Firestone so he knows the course. The tournament has no cut so he is guaranteed 72 holes -- with an eye toward next week's PGA Championship and another shot to cut into Jack Nicklaus' record.

And he needs the FedExCup points. After all, he currently ranks 135rd in points and needs to move inside the top 125 to assure himself a spot in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He'll likely need the equivalent of one seventh-place finish, two 24th place finishes or three 40th place finishes over the remaining three weeks of the regular season.

First things first, though. Woods is here in Akron to win a golf tournament, just like he always is.

"Getting out there and trying to win golf tournaments, being there with a chance to win, whether you win or fail, just being there is just a rush, and it's just so much fun," Woods said. "Trying to pull off the shots that you've done in practice when it matters the most, see what you've got. That's fun."

And while Woods has fun, we'll be watching.