Tiger Woods is ahead of schedule on his road to recovery from a knee injury.
However, the world number one is refusing to rush his return - one he is looking forward to.
"For me not to play, is pretty frustrating," said Woods who will be unable to defend this week's Chevron World Challenge he has won for the past two years. "I want to be out there and competing and trying to mix it up with the boys, but it is what it is, and unfortunately it's not going to happen this year, but I look forward to next year coming back."
The rehabilitation from his knee surgery, which came after Woods won the US Open in June for his 14th major title, is progressing well.
"I haven't hit full shots with my entire bag yet," Woods said.
"As far as coming back, I don't know how it's going to respond with repeated practice days and long days of practice trying to get back, ultimately playing my way into shape. That's obviously going to take a little bit of time."
But Woods and his doctors did not think he would be hitting clubs until after the first of the new year.
"The leg has responded well," Woods said. "I'm actually stronger in my legs than I think I've been (for a while)."
While Woods is optimistic, he is still cautious about his return.
"You have to understand the healing process of the ligament," Woods said. "The ligament is only going to heal so fast, and you've got to be responsible for your actions, and I can't stretch that out."
The speculation was that Woods would try and make his return at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, the site of his US Open triumph.
But Woods was non-committal about where his return would be, saying it might not even be until the Masters in April.
"Well, as far as intention, yes, that's always been the intent," Woods said about playing a few events before the Masters.
"As far as reality, that's two different things. I don't know. That's the most frustrating thing is the uncertainty. How is the leg going to respond to more hours of practising, more playing, more holes of play, playing at home?
"How is it going to recover from day to day to day? All this is unknown. Everyone heals at different rates. I couldn't tell you and my surgeon can't tell you, trainers can't tell you."
Woods would certainly like to avoid making his first event since his surgery the first men's major of the year.
"No, it's not the easiest place to come back, no," Woods said of Augusta National.
"Would I want that scenario to happen? No, I wouldn't want it to. But if I can play, then I'd like to be able to tee it up."
That seems to be the main criteria for Woods. It's not where he wants to compete, it's when, and right now the left knee will dictate when that happens.
"When my best is not good enough, I'm not going to be out here competing," Woods said. "You know, I certainly understand that more so now than ever before, because you know, if I had to play this week, my game is not ready for public consumption.
"I couldn't display it right now. I wouldn't want to. I wouldn't want you guys to see me out there playing that poorly. I'm just not ready yet."
While Woods is eager to get back on the golf course, the time away has given him time to pursue other interests, like golf course design and spend more time with his family.
"Being able to spend time at home with Sam and watch her grow, it's something I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do," Woods said about his young daughter.
"I would have been playing and travelling quite a bit, so from that standpoint it's been a blessing."
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