The beard is gone and so is the pain.

Former No.1 golfer Tiger Woods is healthy again and looking to regain his winning form as he heads into the Bridgestone Invitational beginning Thursday to end a three-month injury layoff. Woods hasn’t played since May 12 when he limped out of The Players Championship after nine holes.

He had suffered an injury to his left knee and Achilles tendon originally during the Masters and then re-injured himself during The Players. But apparently the time off has done the trick.

“The great thing is, I don’t feel a thing,” Woods said to reporters after his practice round Tuesday. “It feels solid. It feels stable. No pain. That’s one of the reasons why I took as long as I did to come back, is that I want to get to this point where I can go ahead and start playing golf again like this. It’s been a very long time, and it feels good to go out there today and hit balls like this, go practice and feel nothing and walk around and pretty much do anything I want on the golf course.”

What Woods wants to do most is win, which is something he hasn’t accomplished in over 20 months. He believes Bridgestone is as good as any place to start.

“I’m excited to compete, to play,” said Woods, who is ranked No. 28 in the world this week, his lowest ranking since joining the PGA Tour full time. “And hopefully, to win the tournament.”

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris

(Photo: Nike)