• Woods father figure believes Tiger is nearly back to best
• O'Meara hints at prospect of battle with Rory McIlroy
No one in professional golf knows Tiger Woods better than Mark O'Meara and after two days spent together practising at Augusta National for this week's Masters no one is more bullish on the former world No1's chances of winning a major championship for the first time in almost four years.
O'Meara, who acted as father figure to Woods during the latter's first few years on the PGA Tour, played practice rounds with his old friend on Sunday and Monday here and left with the distinct impression the chase for Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major wins was about to be rejoined. "Everything I saw out there on the course was extremely good," the 1998 Masters champion said. "I expect him to play really well out there – I'd be shocked if he didn't. He's driving the ball well. He's powerful again. He's got a little pep to his step again."
O'Meara cited his friend's victory at the Bay Hill Invitational two weekends ago as a important moment as Woods seeks to restore the kind of domination he enjoyed at his peak. The pair spoke shortly after Woods won, beating the field by five shots for his first PGA Tour win in more than two and a half years.
"It's like riding a bike," O'Meara said. "When you have won the tournaments he has won and have had the career he has had, it's always going to be in there. He just needed to dig deep and find it. Nerves are a big part of the game, and even he gets nervous. Yet he was certainly in control on that Sunday at Bay Hill."
Woods has won four Green Jackets, although his last victory came in 2005. He has played here twice since returning from the scandal that knocked his career off the rails, finishing fourth on both occasions. In the circumstances, these stand as remarkable performances given the state of his game at the time and the tumult that surrounded his private life.
O'Meara believes that a familiarity with the Augusta National course and a deeper appreciation than almost any other player of what it takes to win here helped Woods excel against all the odds.
"There are going to be a lot of guys this week who will be in contention – certainly a lot of guys who have had good experiences here before," he said. "I think those guys have got a little bit of an advantage. Having said that, this is not going to be a pushover by any means because there are a lot of guys playing well, particularly young players."
O'Meara did not single out any youngster in particular, though there was no doubt he was talking about Rory McIlroy in particular. The Northern Irishman played a practice round here last week and will arrive at the course on Tuesday to finalise his preparations for Thursday's opening round.
He and Woods are scheduled to give press conferences on Tuesday, when the only topic of conversation will be the prospect of the 2012 Masters coming down to contest between the two most recognisable, and currently, best golfers in the world.