The thing Tiger missed most? The competition

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The thing he missed most was the competition.

Of course, that should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the career of Tiger Woods. He's not someone who is content to sit on the sidelines, as he was forced to do after undergoing reconstructive surgery on the ACL in his left knee last June.

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"I just had to find competition in different ways," Woods said Friday during a national conference call. "What I did was I really focused on my rehab -- it was my own personal competition each and every day to get better, because I couldn't do it in the golfing arena anymore.

"So I had to turn my competitive juices into a different area, and it was fun. I made my workouts more productive, I believe, and, here we are.

So productive that Woods is swinging pain-free for the first time in "years," he said. And he's eagerly anticipating his return to competition next week as he defends his title at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

"I'm as curious as you, too,' he said. " Getting out there and competing again and feeling the adrenaline and feeling the rush of competing and playing again, all of that, I haven't done that in a awhile.

"So, hopefully, I can get into the flow of the round very quickly. It helps that it is match play, and that each hole is basically an individual match. So it pays to get off to a quick start with match play, and hopefully that's what I can do."

Woods, who ended weeks of speculation when he announced his decision on Thursday, has not played since he beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff at the U.S. Open last year. He had surgery eight days later.

"It's about time," Mediate had joked Thursday after the first round of the Northern Trust Open, his first in competition since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

"Everyone's waiting, waiting, waiting. And I will guarantee you he wins that tournament next week. ... You think he's coming out not 180,000 percent? He's not coming out, well, let's see how I do. That's not going to happen. I'll bet you he wins that golf tournament next week."

While Woods has been hitting balls since January and mixing in at least a least a few holes each day with his practice sessions of late, he had another important priority before finalizing his return to the PGA TOUR.

Once his first son, and second child, Charlie Axel, was born on Feb. 8, though, Woods could start thinking ahead.

"Basically, it boiled down to Charlie and Elin," he said. "When they gave me the okay, well, they -- I'm sorry, when Elin gave me the okay that she was good and Charlie was doing well, then I was ready to get back."

What Woods said

Excerpts from Tiger Woods' teleconference on Friday: "Every time I enter, it's to win. So that's my intent, to go in there and win, and nothing has ever changed." "With Charlie coming on time, and my practice schedule has been very positive. I felt that this was the time to get back and play again." Full Transcript

Woods hasn't seen the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which will host the Accenture Match Play Championship next week. Neither have any of the other 63 players in the field, though, so he won't be at much of a disadvantage there.

"(I'll prepare) just like anybody," Woods said. "Make sure you really concentrate on your practice rounds. Making sure that you handle your business out there and take in as much as you possibly can. Take good notes, and just try to get an overall feel for the speed of it."

Woods, who will sport an AT&T logo on his golf bag where Buick used to be, has won 23 of his last 26 bouts at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He has won the tournament three times and reached the championship on one other occasion.

To win again, Woods will need to survive six matches -- and two potentially draining 36-hole days, including the championship. The wear-and-tear on that surgically repaired knee is a concern, but the game's No. 1 player is more worried about his performance.

"I think it's whether or not my game's sharp," Woods admitted. "It's one thing to do it in a practice environment at home against some buddies for a little bit of cash.

"But it's a totally different deal to do it in a PGA TOUR event against the best players in the world. That's something that I'm looking forward to the challenge, and really excited about getting on out there and experiencing that excitement again."

Woods said it's been frustrating not to be able to plan his schedule as he has in the past. Once he knows how his knee will "behave in a competitive environment," things should become clearer but "right now my whole year is up in the air."

After the surgery, Woods said he lost the flexibility and endurance in his knee -- which he called a "terrible feeling." He said he feels fortunate to play golf where players can compete into their 50s and not an impact sport like basketball or football.

Right now, though, Woods' main concern is the immediate future and his title defense in the first World Golf Championships event of the season. He has won 15 of the tournaments designed to bring the globe's best together on a regular basis.

"I haven't been out there," Woods said. "I haven't really been able to test in a competitive environment yet. What I do at home, yeah, I do feel good. I'm able to hit all the shots. It's just a matter of getting out there and performing in a tournament and dealing with the pressures of a tournament. That is something that I haven't done in a while."

But Woods does that better than anyone on the planet.