He made a birdie at No. 9 from 3 feet, then two more by tapping in at both of the par-5s on the back. The only birdie putt he made outside a few feet all day came at No. 14, where he sank a 20-footer.

“Everyone was making birdies everywhere on that back nine, so I knew it could be had with good shots. Basically,” he said, “I was in a position to shoot 4-under-par and just didn’t get it done.”

There was plenty of the usual hissing, grousing, grimacing and flinging the occasional club back toward his bag with a bit too much English. Little seems to have changed since the last time we saw Woods at a major, except ... somehow he seems different.

Everyone speculated about how marriage, the loss of his father, the birth of his own kids and most recently, the surgery, would affect Woods. His response to every one of those life-changing events has been the same: He simply got better. On the admittedly scant evidence of 18 holes at his first major back, Woods might be better still. He knows it, even if he’s reluctant to tip his hand early.

Someone asked a second time whether, with all the low scores, Woods was worried about his position. He repeated his stock answers.

“We’ve got a long way to go. The conditions are going to change, You’ve just got to stay patient.”

A moment later, another questioner asked how the knee held up.

“Great,” he replied. “Thank you.”

And the moment after that, he turned on that knee and started walking toward the clubhouse in the distance, the polite grin creasing his lips growing wider with every step.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

McPherson leads Tour Championship Westwood wins Dubai tourney, money titles Brooks wins Pebble Beach Invitational Peter Senior wins Champions Tour Q-school Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: