It’s been seven months since Tiger Woods last competed and that was the bitter disappointment of battling plantar fasciitis that forced him to withdraw after bravely making the halfway cut the Masters. He underwent ankle surgery just 10 days later.

Indeed, Woods has contested just two events this season and the other being seven weeks earlier in sharing 45th place in the Genesis Invitational event he again hosted at the Riviera club in Santa Monica.

However, Woods has hinted he may be closer to returning to formal competition and this news thanks to Stewart Cink when the two were chatting ahead of this week’s World Wide Technology Championship, which is being played at the Woods-designed El Cardonal in LosCabos, Mexico.

Tiger Woods in ‘go mode’ according to good friend Stewart Cink with hopes high of him returning to competition. (Photo – GolfByTourMiss & @TourMiss)

And according to Cink, Woods is in “go mode.”

“Mainly I just wanted to know how he’s (Woods) doing,” said Cink in speaking to the Golf Channel.

“You don’t always get a whole lot out of Tiger Woods, but he said that he started practicing, which I think is a great sign. I don’t know what he’s practicing for, but he said he started practicing.

“So, that means he’s in go-mode for something, and I think we’re all pulling for him to feel as good as he can feel, and if he’s hitting golf balls, I think he’s going in the right direction.” Cink’s update is a positive one for golf fans, with Woods clearly targeting a return to competition”.

And it’s not that Woods has not been sighted playing golf in recent weeks as was spotted early in September on the practice range at Liberty National while a month later he was again spotted and with son Charlie tackling The Hay, and a short course at the famed Pebble Beach.

And lending weight to a possible return of the 15-time major champion is two events he’s closely associated.  The first is his hosting of Novemeber 30th to December 3rd Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

We learnt around a fortnight ago the make-up of the elite 20-player field, but with one place still needing to be filled.

It had been much the same scenario a year with hopes high Woods would tee-up on the Albany course however ruled himself out.

As well, if Woods doesn’t tee-up later this month in the Bahamas there’s the annual PNC Championship being staged a fortnight later, and again taking place from December 14th to 17th at the Ritz Carlton course in Orlando.

Woods and son have been regulars since combining to shoot an opening 10-under 62 on route to finishing seventh in 2020.