Tiger Woods briefly takes lead, in contention at Hero World Challenge

— -- NASSAU, Bahamas - Tiger Woods offered a blast from the past on Friday afternoon -- and just maybe a glimpse into the future.

In just his second competitive round after a 10-month injury absence, Woods posted a 4-under 68 at the Hero World Challenge, moving him into contention for his first victory in four years entering the weekend.

"I think I'm still in it," said Woods, who is 7-under, in a share of fifth place and 5 strokes behind leader Charley Hoffman. "We've got two more days and I think it's supposed to blow a little harder tomorrow. If that's the case, I think a good, solid round should get me up there."

Woods played near-flawless golf on the front-nine at Albany Golf Club. He opened with a birdie on the first hole after knocking a wedge to 4 feet, then added two more birdies in the next three holes.

Following a stretch of four pars, he reached the par-5 ninth hole in two, then drained a 20-foot eagle putt to grab sole possession of the lead. It was his first eagle in competition since Round 2 of the 2015 Wyndham Championship.

"I think everyone was hoping for the best, but this is definitely better than we thought," said his caddie, Joe LaCava. "I mean, that's pretty good for 36 holes."

Of course, there were more questions entering this week regarding Woods' health than his swing. Following a fourth back surgery eight months ago, this one a fusion surgery, he maintained he isn't dealing with any pain.

"No issues at all, none," he explained. "That's one of the reasons I went out and played nine straight days before, back home and down here, as well. My body's accustomed to playing. It's a little different playing, obviously, tournament golf with tournament speed and hitting certain shots, but the body's good."

Woods also said that his expectations have changed based on the way he's played so far.

"I didn't know what to expect, because I hadn't played. I hadn't competed. I haven't had a fused back before in my life. These are all new things. As you can see, even with the fused back, I still have some speed out there and these are all things I've had to learn and will continue to learn. This is a new body that I'm getting used to."

Though Woods' torrid play cooled off on the back-nine - he carded one birdie and two bogeys, including a sloppy one on the final hole - he remains very much in title contention, as part of a bunched leaderboard in the 18-player field.

Woods' last title came at the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, his 79th on the PGA Tour.

While this wouldn't count toward his official win total, the tournament does offer world ranking points. A win is believed to move the 1,199th-ranked Woods into the top-150.

As he stepped away from his post-round interview session, Woods was asked whether he believes he can still win this week.

He offered a big smile and replied, "What do you think?"