Just minutes into his first official press conference in over two months and four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods bluntly confessing: ‘I worked my ass off’.

Here is the early part of Woods interview in front of the gathered media here at Augusta National.

TIGER WOODS: Well, I’m excited, excited to be back, to be back playing at this level. I feel like my game is finally ready to compete at this level, the highest level and I’m excited to be here.

There’s no other tournament in the world like this, and to come back to a place that I’ve had so many great memories at and so many great times in my life, it’s always special. And then this week, to play with Mo, haven’t seen him in a while, go back and relive somQn:  In the course of your preparation, is there anything that would have tipped you in the other direction and made you pull the plug and decide not to come back this week?e old times, brings back some great times. Excited to be competing again and really looking forward to Thursday.

Tiger Woods teeing off Tuesday in a practice round at Augusta. (Photo – Atlanta Constitution Journal)

Qn:  In the course of your preparation, is there anything that would have tipped you in the other direction and made you pull the plug and decide not to come back this week?

TIGER WOODS: If I felt like I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I needed to or even chipping and putting, as well, but I needed to have all facets of my game come around. They all have, and we’ve spent a lot of time, a lot of work on this (smiling) and it’s finally paid off.

Qn:  What did you do? I mean, did you kind of just get back to basics, all parts of it? Can you talk abouthow much time, range, course, playing; how much you can take us through on the process over the last eight, nine weeks?

TIGER WOODS: I worked my ass off (smiling). That’s the easiest way to kind of describe it. I worked hard.

It was (sighing) people would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again. But it was sunup to sundown, and whenever I had free time; if the kids were asleep, I’d still be doing it, and then when they were in school, I’d still be doing it. So it was a lot of work.

Tiger Woods a study of concentration on day two of practice at Augusta National (Photo – Atlanta Constitution Journal)

Qn: Were there any issues with your back at all during that time?

TIGER WOODS: A little bit here and there. But it was just from the twisting. It just gets sore also bending over and hitting so many putts, too. There’s only __ you stand over a putter for a couple hours, you’re going to be a little sore. But just had to get through it.

Had my therapist there and he worked on me and it was all good and ready to go. I had no structural damage, no structural issues. It was just the fact that my muscles got fatigued.

Qn:  What did you do? I mean, did you kind of just get back to basics, all parts of it? Can you talk about how much time, range, course, playing; how much you can take us through on the process over the last eight, nine weeks?

TIGER WOODS: I worked my ass off (smiling). That’s the easiest way to kind of describe it. I worked hard.

It was (sighing) people would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again. But it was sunup to sundown, and whenever I had free time; if the kids were asleep, I’d still be doing it, and then when they were in school, I’d still be doing it. So it was a lot of work.

Qn:  Were there any issues with your back at all during that time?

TIGER WOODS: A little bit here and there. But it was just from the twisting. It just gets sore also bending over and hitting so many putts, too. There’s only __ you stand over a putter for a couple hours, you’re going to be a little sore. But just had to get through it.

Had my therapist there and he worked on me and it was all good and ready to go. I had no structural damage, no structural issues. It was just the fact that my muscles got fatigued.