"When I first game back it was just getting my feel for tournament golf again and I think I have I feel like I am not really thinking as much around the golf course, it's more see it, feel it and go.
"That's just because I have my feels back again."
After years of battling back woes, Woods, who underwent spinal fusion surgery last April, appears to be back close to the form that helped him win 14 major titles.
Picking up where he left he left off on Sunday with a second place finish at the Valspar Championship, Woods got a cool morning off to a hot start by collecting three birdies on an error-free first nine.
Playing the back nine first, the 42-year-old American's round stuttered at the par-four third where he took a double bogey after hitting his tee shot out of bounds.
But Woods, playing with supreme confidence, was quickly back on track, picking up his fourth birdie of the day at the par-five fourth to inch his way back up the leaderboard.
That was followed by a birdie at six and another at seven when he rolled in a monster 21.5-metre putt that brought a roar from the gallery.
"At seven I was just trying to get down in two and not make a bogey I didn't want to drop another shot," Woods said. "That putt as it came over the ridge it had too much steam on it … luckily it hit the hole or it would have rolled eight feet by."
Meanwhile, Jason Day says nerves had nothing to do with his lacklustre opening round, despite continuing his poor record of playing with Woods.
Day struggled to a 73, his worst opening round since a 74 on debut at Bay Hill in 2008, leaving the former world No.1 six shots back.
Of the four times Day has been grouped with Woods on the PGA Tour, he has missed the cut three times.
Day was impressed with the performance of close friend Woods. ‘‘Tiger was very impressive today; the few times he short-sided himself he saved par and he took advantage of the par fives,’’ he said.
Tiger Woods shakes hands with Australian playing partner Jason Day.
Photo: AP
‘‘He had a good day on the greens, but there’s still three rounds to go you never know what he’s going to do over the next three days.’’
The 30-year-old Queenslander attributed his difficult round to poor iron play, averaging 15.5 metres from the hole on approach shots.
‘‘I just didn’t give myself opportunities, it’s pretty hard to make birdies from 51 feet and I didn’t hole anything today,’’ Day said.
But the 2016 Palmer winner is confident of clawing back up the leaderboard, having recorded a win and a runner-up in his two other US Tour events this year.
‘‘I feel like the game is right there and I’ve just got to inch my way back into the tournament. Bay Hill is a tough course and I’m not that far back,’’ Day said.
Reuters, AAP
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