“Today?” Woods answered a joke, are you kidding me? tuna fish. No, Woods did not play Augusta’s second nine on Monday, as he did not play holes 1-9 on Sunday. He steps on himself, preparing for a milestone return from a catastrophic car wreck 14 months ago that left him with a pair of broken legs. As of Monday afternoon, Woods had not yet committed to playing 18 holes in one day and has yet to announce his intention for the Masters, which starts Thursday. But keep in mind these signs:

Woods walked sweetly, but largely without a lazy Monday, a day after doing the same in the much steeper second nine of the course. He spent most of the round in full Tiger dial mode, ignoring the hundreds of “Let’s Go Tiger!” calls. But he knew enough to slap fives with many young children and at least one young man confined to a wheelchair. He was relaxed, joking with comrades Justin Thomas and Fred Couples and bouncing a ball in his driver’s face as he walked from the eighth green to the ninth jersey. He played well, surpassing Thomas in many holes and reached his green par-5 eighth in both. His footsteps came true, even if he did not bend down to read green greens. The most remarkable thing is that he spent a lot of time to put in what, most of the years, were Sunday pin positions. This is not the kind of thing one does when one is in the last holes of an occasional run on the track.

This time last year, Woods was in solitary confinement, recovering and recovering from a public accident that was so devastating that he almost lost a leg. Orthopedic experts at the time said it could take months, if not years, for Woods to be able to walk normally, much less play elite golf again. Woods was a ghost on social media. The Golf Twitter leaked video of him walking with me limping or waving a bat like Bible Students searching for hidden meanings. The story goes on Tiger Woods walks in his first jersey during a pre-Masters practice round at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2022 in Augusta, Georgia. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images) The world of golf went without him. Phil Mickelson surprised the world by winning another major title and then – somewhat less surprisingly – ignited his reputation as he tried to pick a match on the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau started and apparently ended what still looks like a televised controversy. Jon Rahm has snatched the title of best player in the world and the United States is threatening Europe right away from the Ryder Cup stage. Through it all, Woods watched, commented from time to time, and worked. He worked hard, he worked harder than anyone who already has 15 great studies and there is nothing left to prove that he should ever work. And in December, the golf world took a first look at the fruits of all that work: a second place with son Charlie in the PNC Championship. Normally a pleasant and enjoyable event, Woods dealt with it with all the formality of a major, enjoying the opportunity to play with his son, but still doing what he could to bring home another title. Team Woods came very close to Team Daly, but the message was clear: Woods was not over. The savvy observers of the Masters website caught a shock when Mickelson entered the list of “former champions who do not play”. But they also noted that Woods was still on the roster at 2022. He certainly had not been able to warn Augusta National that he would not be playing, right? Correctly … ? Then last week, Twitter sleuth watched a Woods-listed aircraft, noting that the flight plan began near Jupiter, Florida and ended near Augusta, Georgia. Even in Augusta, such big secrets are hard to keep and news leaked that Woods, Charlie and Thomas played the lesson, obviously a prelude to a possible comeback. On Sunday morning, Woods fueled speculation that he was still planning to play, pending the outcome of two rounds on Sunday and Monday afternoon. Sunday’s round was closed to the public, but Woods’s Monday afternoon round was gathering numbers usually for weekends when Woods is on the hunt. They applauded every move of Woods, chips and chicken. They applauded him standing up as he passed. They shouted “get in the hole”, of course, but only this time, even that was not terribly annoying. All this time, Woods was walking at a leisurely pace, stretching at rest and clearly without straining. Admittedly, Woods could wake up tomorrow morning with a fusilli-like backbone and could decide that 36 or 72 Augusta National holes would be more of a tip-off than a triumph. Other than that, though, everything looks well on track for Woods to make a remarkable comeback, whether he plays at the weekend or not. As Woods walked from the first green to the second jersey, a marshal looked down at the few remaining patrons along the first aisle. “He’s getting ready to rest here for the rest of the afternoon,” he said with a laugh. And if Woods returns to the Masters, it will be very possible for the rest of the week.