CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiger Woods gets back to work this week, returning to the Wells Fargo Championship for the first time since 2012. It is also his first start since the Masters, where he tied for 32nd and then took a three-tournament break. That is his longest such gap since January.
Woods announced last week that he would be playing this week at Quail Hollow Golf Club and in next week's Players Championship. He is also expected to add the Memorial Tournament in early June, giving him three tournament starts before next month's U.S. Open.
Here are a few things to consider as Woods' comeback resumes.
The layoff
From the time Woods teed it up at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, there was a steady progression toward the Masters and never more than a two-week stretch of tournaments skipped. Woods even played back-to-back tournaments twice -- the Genesis Open and Honda Classic, then after a week off, the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
After a tie for 32nd at the Masters -- where some poor iron play led to a relatively disappointing result given the pre-tournament optimism -- Woods admitted that "the run-up to this event is pretty grueling.''
He vowed to put the clubs away for a bit, and true to his word, Woods said at a youth clinic in Missouri on April 17 that it was the first time he had swung a club since the final round of the Masters.
Last week, Woods had a clinic as part of a TGR Foundation function at his home club, the Medalist, and he had been seen practicing alongside Brooks Koepka, as the reigning U.S. Open champ worked on his game following a wrist injury that has kept him out since January.
Unlike past years, when Woods seemed to spend his time away from tournaments simply rehabbing and resting so he could play, he presumably has gotten in some good work to prepare for this next stretch.
The good (and not so good)
Woods is the only player on the PGA Tour ranked among the top 10 in both strokes gained around the green and strokes gained putting, among two of the PGA Tour's many statistical measures. It is impressive that Woods' short game has been so solid.
But he ranks 152nd in strokes gained off the tee, and that can lead to other issues. Woods ranks 166th in greens hit in regulation -- which is a tribute to his short game. And yet it has cost him scoring opportunities. You are not making enough birdies if you are scrambling for par.
Throw in Woods' substandard iron play at the Masters, and there is plenty of room for improvement.
"It was a little bit disappointing I didn't hit my irons as well as I needed to for this particular week,'' Woods said after the Masters. "You miss it just a touch here, it gets magnified. And I just didn't do a good enough job this week in that regard.''
To that end, Woods announced on Twitter that he has a new set of irons in his bag this week that TaylorMade has been designing for him.
Quail Hollow
Woods last played here in 2012, when he missed the cut. He also missed the cut in 2010, shooting a second-round 79. That 2007 victory seems a long time ago.
The course has just enough nuance to cause problems if you're not hitting it in the right spots. The scores have varied. Rory McIlroy posted 21 under par to win in 2015; the winning score usually is in the 9-under to 15-under range.
In addition to his victory, Woods has three other top-10 finishes in his six starts at the tournament. He missed last year's PGA Championship, which was played at Quail Hollow.
The Official World Golf Ranking
Woods has come a long way since December, when he was 1,199th in the world heading into the Hero World Challenge. He got a nice boost by finishing ninth in the limited-field tournament in the Bahamas and has steadily climbed into the top 100, now settling at 93rd.
But now it gets a bit tougher to make big moves. For example, if Woods were to finish 10th this week, he is projected to barely crack the top 80. In other words, high finishes are now required for significant rankings bumps. Of course, a victory here would see Woods climb into the top 40 and a solo second could see him close to cracking the top 50.
With three top-12 finishes in six PGA Tour events and five made cuts, Woods has earned 476 FedEx Cup points to rank 53rd. While that might not seem significant, Woods has already assured himself of a top-125 finish and is in excellent position to progress through the four-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs.
And if Woods has any intentions of making the U.S. Ryder Cup team -- or at least getting close -- he can make a lot of headway in the coming weeks. Woods is ranked 33rd.
It doesn't get easier
Woods has typically gone up against the best. His schedule has included the majors, the World Golf Championship events and other tournaments that traditionally have the toughest fields. Although he has not been eligible for any of the WGCs to date, he has not shied away from tough courses or fields.
This week is no exception. Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Hideki Matsuyama, McIlroy and Koepka are among those in a stacked field. Next week, the Players boasts the best field of the year outside of the majors. And the Memorial is typically a strong field, too.
But first it's the Wells Fargo Championship, which will be Woods' seventh event of 2018 and his eighth worldwide since returning from his spinal fusion surgery that was performed just over a year ago.