"A guy that's won 14 majors, he's got a lot of game," Ernie Els said after playing with Woods in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. "I think he's very close.
"I haven't played with him in about a year. I think his ball-striking was pretty good the last two days. His short game is pretty sharp, he just didn't make enough putts. He's skimming the hole. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. He looks pretty sharp.
"I think it's only a matter of time before he starts getting in his strike."
While Woods has managed to ramp up his game for the majors, he has been just another golfer in his three other events, missing the cut in the Quail Hollow Championship, withdrawing from the Players Championship because of a neck injury while back in the pack during the final round, and tying for 19th in the Memorial Tournament.
Everyone is waiting to see if and when the invincible Tiger might reappear.
"There's no doubt we're wondering about that," said Graeme McDowell, the surprise winner at Pebble Beach. "If he doesn't come back and win quick, there's no doubt his force field's gone a little bit. All of a sudden, he's more human."
Some of that can be attributed to rust. Woods has played only 17 rounds of competitive golf this season; Els, meanwhile, is at 52 after playing in the BMW International Open and missing the cut last week in Germany, and Mickelson is at 50.
And then there is the mental side: being able to concentrate with his personal life seemingly in shambles.
Woods did find some magic in the third round of the U.S. Open, torching Pebble for eight birdies, including five on the back nine on his way to a 5-under-par 66 that put him right in the mix.
Most noteworthy was the 273-yard, 3-wood second shot on the 18th hole, which he carved around two cypress trees and out over the Pacific Ocean before it faded back to within 15 feet of the hole.
On Sunday, however, the magic was gone.
Still, his performance at Pebble Beach was a huge improvement over his last three tournaments. Even NBC commentator Johnny Miller, often a critic of Woods, conceded that his swing is better and that he soon could be back.
It's more important, though, that Woods believes it.
"I feel like I can play now," he said in the aftermath of the U.S. Open. "Yeah. I've got a feel for my game, my shape of my shots, what I'm working on, and the two major championships I finished, I had a chance to win both of them. So it's not too bad.
"I feel like I put some pieces together this week. It's a process. It's a long process, but I've put some of it together, and I hit some shots this week that I haven't hit in a long time."
Woods captured the AT&T National last year by one stroke over Hunter Mahan at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., but will defend at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., because Congressional is being prepared for the 2011 U.S. Open.
Throughout his career, once he has been victorious on a course, he has often come back for more. See Torrey Pines, Augusta National, St. Andrews, Firestone and others.
So any advantage in that area has been nullified at Aronimink.
"I haven't played it," he said of the Donald Ross classic. "Been out here, walked it, been around it ... it's also the rich history that Aronimink has.
We don't get a chance to play too many golf courses like this, so it's a treat for us as players.
"One of the reasons why you see a lot of players play Quail Hollow is it's a great golf course; Riviera, it's a great golf course; Torrey Pines. We don't get a chance to play old-style venues like this very often, and when you do, you take advantage of it. And Aronimink was as nice as can be to allow us to come here for two years.
"It's going to be a great test."
He hopes he's ready to finish at the head of the class again.
