Woods completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of sport at Augusta, Georgia, rolling back the years and reaching heights most doubted he would ever climb again.

Three months on, however, golf is no longer the main topic of conversation as far as the American is concerned. Rather, it is the lack of golf that has been on everyone’s lips in the lead up to the Open Championship, which begins on Thursday in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

Woods has not picked up a club since finishing tied for 21st at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, California, last month, when he carded a 2-under par 69 in the final round.

Going further back, the 43-year-old has played only 10 competitive rounds since donning the Green Jacket in April.

To put things into context, pre-tournament favorite Rory McIlroy, 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson, world number nine Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler were all in action last weekend at the Scottish Open, along with Matt Kuchar, Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Ian Poulter.

World number one Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, fined-tuned his preparation by playing at the 3M Open in Illinois.

Woods’ unusual preparation has raised doubts over his approach and physical condition.

“I personally think if you’re serious about winning the Open you’ve got to be playing tournament golf at least before it,” two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington told The Guardian.

On the other hand, Patrick Reed, who played with Woods at the Ryder Cup and will be alongside him for the first two rounds at Portrush warned against underestimating Tiger.

“He is re-energized and ready to strike,” the 2018 Masters winner told reporters earlier this week.

“We have a long way to go getting ready for the event starting on Thursday. There is a lot of days in between.”

For his part, Woods defended his decision to scale down on commitments, suggesting playing less golf was necessary to ease the strain on his back.

The California native underwent spinal fusion surgery two years ago in a bid to solve back problems that had threatened to end his career.

“You have to understand, if I play a lot, I won’t be out here that long,” he said.

“The tricky part is trying to determine how much tournament play I need to get the feel for the shots and also understanding where my body is.”

While the lack of preparation might count against him, ruling Woods out of contention before a ball has been hit in anger would be particularly naïve.

After all, the American is a three-time Open champion and as Greg Norman and Tom Watson have shown in the past, veterans often thrive in golf’s oldest major.

Bookmakers certainly believe Woods has a chance to add a 16th major to his collection. At 16/1, Tiger is joint-third favorite alongside Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson, behind only Rory McIlroy and world number one Brooks Koepka.

Furthermore, while Woods had never set foot at Portrush until he flew in from Florida on Sunday, familiarity with the course is a luxury few of his rivals are afforded.

The Dunluce Links course was extensively renovated in 2015, with two new holes introduced—the seventh and the eighth—while the original 17th and 18th were removed.

In its current configuration, the Dunluce Links is a 7,340-yard, par-71 course, which has the fewest bunkers of any course on The Open rota.

Woods said he was surprised by the fact the venue has not hosted the Open since 1951.

“It’s such a great venue,” he told BBC Sport.

“Everyone who’s played it, whether it’s guys who grew up here or people who have come up here and just played, they’ve always enjoyed it.

“I can understand why. It’s straightforward. It is tricky a little bit here and there, but overall it’s just a wonderful links golf course.”