Tiger Woods finds himself in the company of legends once again. All he had to do this time was leave for a little while.

An aching Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open, his 14th career major, then announced he would have season-ending reconstructive ACL surgery. He also revealed a double stress fracture of his left tibia was discovered in May. (Associated Press)

After perhaps the most remarkable major championship performance of his career at the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods sat out the next eight months recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. His competitive return in February joined Michael Jordan's "unretirement" from the NBA and Cassius Clay's return to the ring as Muhammad Ali as one of the most anticipated comebacks in sports history.

"I'm now ready to play again," Woods simply said on his Web site the week before the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Just how ready is he for the Masters Tournament?

After three preliminary tune-up tournaments, Woods returns to a major this week at Augusta National Golf Club, a golf resurrection likened by many to Ben Hogan's return to the 1950 U.S. Open after a near-fatal car crash sidelined him for 11 months.

One television anchorman recently claimed this would be the most anticipated Masters ever, exceeding even the buildup in 2001 when Woods won his fourth major in a row.

His peers expect him to reach his pre-surgical form sooner rather than later.

Two days before having arthroscopic surgery in Park City, Utah, Woods shot a final-round 72 to finish second at the 2008 Masters Tournament. He finished three shots behind Trevor Immelman. (Annette M. Drowlette/Staff)

"He's the greatest player of all time, arguably - he or Jack (Nicklaus) - and he'll get back to that level," Phil Mickelson said after beating Woods by eight shots at the CA Championship at Doral a month ago. "I'm hoping it's in five weeks and not four."

A week ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods won in just his third start since the knee surgery. He made a birdie on the final hole to win at Bay Hill for the sixth time, and his five-shot comeback matched the biggest he's had on the PGA Tour.

Woods said the victory was important heading into the first major of the year.

Since his comeback, "I've gotten better each week, which was the whole idea, to progress to Augusta," Woods said after Bay Hill, the 66th win of his PGA Tour career.

Woods returns to Augusta with a victory to his credit and a desire to recapture the form he left behind last spring. Despite playing on an ACL he ruptured immediately after the 2007 British Open while jogging near his home in Windermere, Fla., Woods won 10 of 13 events he played in from Firestone to the U.S. Open. He finished fifth once and second in two others, including the Masters.

So when he finally decided to have the tendon reconstructed in his left knee June 24 after his epic playoff victory over Rocco Mediate, the consensus was that Woods wouldn't miss a step. His doctor, Thomas Rosenberg, said, "It is highly unlikely that Mr. Woods will have any long-term effects as it relates to his career."

Tiger Woods kisses his son, Charlie. (Dom Furore/Woods Family via Getty Images/Associated Press)

His old friends and frequent playing partners in his Isleworth neighborhood sounded as if they were talking about the billion-dollar bionic man as they trumpeted his return.

"I would say he's better than ever," said Mark O'Meara, a close friend and fellow Masters champion.

"The quality of golf is going to be as good or better than ever because he's actually got a left leg to hit against," said John Cook. "He could step right in anywhere, just like he never left."

Woods stepped in at the match play tournament in Tucson, Ariz., in February and played his first two competitive holes in 3-under par.

"It felt like nothing had changed," he said after that round. "Walking down the fairway, it felt like business as usual."

But Woods showed the cobwebs in his game with a second-round exit at the match play and off-the-pace performance on a Doral course he has dominated.

Woods stretches during the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. (Associated Press)

Statistics show that Woods is still struggling with accuracy off the tee (60.7 percent of fairways hit) and reaching the green in regulation (61.1 percent). He's made up for that with putting (26.75 putts per round) and scrambling.

"I'd like to hit the ball like I did at Doral and putt like I did (at Bay Hill)," Woods said.

With a stable left knee that no longer moves around when he shifts his weight on it, Woods' power is not in question. He is averaging better than 293 yards per drive.

"I feel a lot stronger in my left leg," he said. "Both legs have been stronger than they ever have been. Stability is something I haven't had in years. So it's nice to make a swing and not have my bones move."

During the arduous recovery process, Woods said he never wondered whether he could get back to where he was before the surgery. That he doesn't play a contact sport should serve him well on a rebuilt knee.

"There was no doubt I'll get back," he said. "Discouragement, yeah, there's plenty of that, especially the first few months. Anyone who's ever been through an ACL reconstruction, they'll attest to it. It's not a whole lot of fun. But once you start feeling a little bit more explosive and a little more secure in the leg and the movements start coming back, yeah, you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

Tiger Woods tees off on No. 2 in the fourth round of the WGC-CA Championship in Doral, Fla. The rust in Woods' game was evident as he finished eight shots behind winner Phil Mickelson. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

The same can be said for the game itself. The man who grimaced and gritted his way through 91 holes at Torrey Pines on a torn-up knee and stress fractures in his left leg to win the U.S. Open is too valuable a commodity for golf to lose.

His eight-month recuperative sabbatical showed that.

While golf soldiered on without Woods and provided plenty of compelling stories - including Padraig Harrington sweeping the last two majors, the rise of a new generation of young players and a riveting Ryder Cup won by the United States - all was not well.

Golf, like everything else, is trying to survive in a bleak economy. Not having its star attraction hurt. Ratings and attendance went down. Two PGA Tour events were shut down for lack of sponsorship, and another will opt out after 2009.

Even Woods wasn't immune to the meltdown, as Buick severed its longtime endorsement relationship with him at the end of 2008.

So it was uncomfortable news for the sport that Woods enjoyed his time off spent with his young daughter, welcoming a new son and tending to golf-design projects all over the world.

Woods' absence from the PGA Tour proved how valuable he is. Ratings and attendance were down without him in the field. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

"It was a blessing in disguise to have an opportunity just to see Sam grow that fast and that much," he said of his daughter, hinting that the prospect of eventual retirement seemed more appealing than ever. "On one level it's been absolutely something I'd never want to do again, and then on another part it's been just the greatest time in the world."

For now, Woods still has achievements to attend to with his clubs, starting this week on the major course he's most familiar with. Woods will resume his quest to catch Jack Nicklaus' standard of 18 career major victories, sitting just four back after his third U.S. Open win.

"I actually think he'll come back better," Harrington said. "When something is taken away from you, you want it even more. It's hard to believe that I'm saying he might even want to win a tournament more than he did before."

Woods hasn't won the Masters since 2005, finishing second each of the past two years. Since debuting as an amateur in 1995, Woods has never gone four consecutive years at the Masters without slipping on a new green jacket.

"It does not feel like that long," he said of his last successful trip to the Butler Cabin. "I've won there a few times. Hopefully this year I'll play well at the right time."

"There was no doubt I'll get back. Discouragement, yeah, there's plenty of that, especially the first few months. Anyone who's ever been through an ACL reconstruction, they'll attest to it. It's not a whole lot of fun."

The ACL: Damage and repair (Staff)

- Tiger Woods

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.