The entire year, in some respects, has been in a work in progress.

Woods hit the ball poorly at the Masters, where he tied for sixth, which he attributed to his left knee not being strong enough for practice sessions after his round. That changed a month later, and he hit the ball beautifully at Bethpage Black. His tie for sixth at the U.S. Open was more a product of being unable to make a putt.

The British Open remains a mystery. Woods had every part of his game fall apart over a six-hole stretch that he played in 7 over — a lost ball off a bad drive, a bad iron over a green, poor chips and missed putts — and he never recovered.

Not much has changed, however, in the eyes of his competition.

Someone asked British Open champion Stewart Cink to assess Woods' chances going into the final major of the year.

"I'd say he's got a pretty good chance — probably better than anybody else in the field. How's that for an answer?" Cink said with a smile. "I mean, he's driving it pretty well. He's got a short game that history has never known. He's got the clutch putting that history has never known. And he's got the ultimate tank of confidence to draw form. So case closed."

This is the sixth time Woods has come to the PGA Championship without a major championship to his name. He won 10 years ago at Medinah in a duel with Sergio Garcia, and he won two years ago at Southern Hills, where he tied a record with his 63 in the second round.

The other three years, Woods ended the year feeling empty. He says that won't be the case this time.