Tiger Woods Comeback Expectations: Can Golf Legend Finish Top 10, Improve On Opening 73?

After more than 400 days away from the game, it's hard to imagine Tiger Woods winning a golf tournament. And that might be his biggest asset in the second round at the Hero World Challenge Friday.

Woods played his first competitive round in more than a year Thursday and shot a 1-over-par 73 at the tournament he hosts in the Bahamas. The results were mixed. During one stretch it was vintage Woods, who for a brief instant held a share of the lead during the first eight holes. But across the final 10 holes, the 14-time major winner looked rusty, taking penalty strokes while spending far too much time in the rough grass.

Prior to the most recent comeback, Woods, 40, struggled with injuries especially troubling for a golfer: back and knee issues. He suffered through the so-called "yips," bungling relatively straightforward chip shots like a weekend duffer. Over time the questions about Woods' future transformed — can he win another major to can he win a tournament to can he play this year to can he play ever again.

So heading into the tournament expectations were modest from those who watch the game closely. A panel of four ESPN experts agreed that the main question for Woods was simply if he could get through four rounds of competitive golf without getting injured or his game falling apart. Vegas set the over-under line for his opening round at a modest 72.5 — par is 72 — and gave him just 40-1 odds at winning the tournament. Woods himself claimed he was there, as ever, to win, but also acknowledged he was effectively embarking on a second career. He's older and the younger, healthier guys can hit the ball farther.

"In golf, I can play a different way and get away with it," Woods said before the tournament began, via Yahoo. "You can do it different ways. I mean Fred Funk played out here until he was 52."

It's perhaps telling Woods used Funk — a solid golfer, but winner of 14 fewer major trophies than Woods — as a reference point. Woods may have the welcome relief of low expectations.

With Thursday in the books, Woods was 17th out of 18 golfers in the tournament, ahead of only Justin Rose, who would later withdraw before Friday's second round because of injury. It was a solid enough return, with expected signs of rust and nine strokes between Woods and leader J.B. Holmes.

In a field of just 17, it's not unreasonable to think Woods could streak up the leaderboard and take home a top 10 finish. Before a collapse on the final few holes in round one, he looked prime to shoot under par. It's also not unreasonable to think Woods finishes dead last.

It's just his first tournament back after an extended layoff. Perhaps neither result would tell the golf world what, exactly, to expect in the future.

But expectations were already rising Friday. Woods' former swing coach Hank Haney posted on Twitter some bold thoughts after watching Thursday's competition. Haney said he saw the golfer winning at least one more major and that he'd shoot a six-under-par 66 in the second round.

Early Friday afternoon Woods was flying through the course in the Bahamas, five-under-par through 12 holes. But as Thursday taught us, things can change quickly. It's hard to know what to expect.