Tiger Woods admitted he was "way more comfortable" being back in competition as he reflected on a superb start to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Woods began his quest for an unprecedented ninth victory at Bay Hill with a four-under 68 as he continued his remarkable PGA Tour comeback barely a year after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
The 42-year-old made a solid start in the cool, early conditions and, after two opening pars at 10 and 11, he got up and running with back-to-back birdies before adding another at the long 16th.
Woods was clearly unimpressed with a tournament official's decision to rule his ball out-of-bounds at the third, where he blocked his drive way right and his ball became entangled in some netting between the white markers.
The official adjudged he was out-of-bounds by a matter of inches, and a furious Woods marched back to the tee and eventually did well to make a double-bogey six following another wayward blow.
But he responded with birdies at the fourth and sixth, and he then holed one of the longest putts of his career from the fringe at the seventh, his 71-foot putt dropping in the centre of the cup at pace for an unlikely two.
Woods then salvaged a par at his final hole with another confident putt from 12 feet, and he is in a great position to follow last week's runner-up finish with his first victory since 2013.
"It was a good round today," said Woods, who has not played at Bay Hill since winning his eighth title in Orlando five years ago. "It was awfully cold this morning and the greens were a little bit slow starting out. As soon as they dried out, they got quick.
"The ball wasn't flying, really, and then it started to warm-up and then it started to have some jets. Joey and I were talking a lot about what club we were hitting coming into the greens because the ball was starting to pick up some distance as it warmed up. We communicated really well and I thought I played well.
"I feel way more comfortable in the tournament setting now. It's taken a little bit of time in terms of tournament rounds under my belt to be able to get into this position and I've got my tournament feels now, which is nice.
"It took time and patience and playing tournaments. I'm scoring now, so I'm going out there and hitting shots and I'm scoring. I know where to miss it, I don't have to really think that much and just going out there and doing it.
"I always liked playing here. This golf course, it sets up well to my eye and I've had some success here. I've had some success under different conditions too, so that's always kind of a feather in the cap when I come to a golf course where I've had some success over the years, this is one of them. And I've never seen the golf course in this good a shape before."
Woods also conceded he would have been happy with a two-putt for par at the seventh, adding: "That was coming over that hill a little too quick. Obviously I was trying to lag it down there and just make my par and get out of here and it had to crash at the hole. But I'm not complaining, it went in."